Time Geeks & Friends Review

The likes of Draw Something and Words With Friends have ably demonstrated to us just how much fun can be had participating in turn-based multiplayer games through our iOS devices. Each of them are easy to dive into no matter where you are, while still feeling connected to a loved one or friend elsewhere in the world. The latest entry to this sub-genre is Time Geeks & Friends, based upon Time Geeks: Find All!, a fun find and seek game.

Time Geeks & Friends pits players against either random opponents or friends in their quest to find hidden characters or orbs as quickly as possible. Think Where's Waldo but with a little more variation. Each round, a new objective is set and a new character must be found. These frequently include some great pop culture references such as references to the main protagonist in the Half-Life series of games and the hunt for an Elvis Presley impersonator.

Each round takes hardly any time at all, although concentration is quite essential to success. Players take it in turns to spot the relevant figure before swapping round. The speed in which figures are found decides who wins. In the first round, only figure must be found but this increases in the next two rounds. Most challenging of all are small green orbs that can be spotted for extra points. Each landscape is cluttered with colorful figures and other items so there's a decent challenge here.

Once a winner is decided, players can gain experience, thus unlocking new characters to use as their avatar. I particularly enjoyed using the Iron Man style avatar. Power-ups are also usable to clear the cloudy skies of each level or make things a touch easier in another way. Ultimately though, the gameplay is very much about observational skills.

It's not quite as addictive or as compelling as something like Draw Something but it is lower maintenance. It's simple to drop into Time Geeks & Friends for a brief time, just to make one's moves and return to the day's activities for a bit longer. Its quirky charm really is quite endearing.