Collision Effect Review

My warden mother always told me: "Jason, never judge a book by its cover." While this may seem like sound advice, it's also costly, as I was perpetually having to return comic books to the store from which I bought them, thinking I was settling down to read Archie and Jughead, even though "National Geographic" was emblazoned on the cover. Try as I might, I simply had to look inside each book to ensure I was getting Richie RIch instead of that useless Reader's DIgest.

That said, Collision Effect is one of those games that you just can't judge by looking at it, although it makes for good eye candy. Its dazzling graphics and perceived simplicity will easily sink their hooks into you but, ironically, it's the game's depth and resilience that will keep you coming back.

At its heart, Collision Effect is an arcade action/puzzler, wherein users must guide groups of colored orbs, called Zybbles, into each other as they're introduced on your screen, while avoiding orbs of a different color, in order to gain points, clear the screen and advance to the next stage. While this may sound easy, those daggum different-colored orbs enjoy impeding your progress, forcing players to strategize (which orb you touch for the others to merge to is crucial, as all others move to this point, clearing paths for other, different-colored orbs), using timing and coordination to successfully advance in the game, creating multiple, simultaneous explosions for bonus points.

Tapping any one of a group of colored orbs will cause all like-colored orbs to advance toward it, in a straight line, until they collide and disappear from your screen, via a dazzling explosion of color particles. Players must use the afore-mentioned skills, however, as that straight line, more often than not, has a point along it occupied by an orb of a different color. When orbs of different colors meet, it's game over.

There are also a few power-ups in the game which allow you to protect Zybbles, gain more points, explode additional Zybbles and slow time to get more/bigger combos. In addition, gameplay is divided into two modes: Action, an endurance mode which challenges players to create explosions and advance as far as they can in the game before succumbing and Puzzle, a series of pre-configured challenges which forces players to find the solution to clearing each screen of all orbs, spanning three difficulty levels: Easy, Normal and Hard.

The game's sound effects and music are well-integrated; better, in fact, than most of its kind. From the ominous, foreboding soundtrack to the reverberating crash of each collision, this is one game you'll want to experience with the volume up.

While Collision Effect is fun and engaging in Action mode, its Puzzle sibling feels somewhat incomplete, as if it were thrown in as an afterthought to add depth to the game. Those who enjoy the puzzles will find much re-playability in the game, however, while those drawn to the action mode will eventually move on, once they feel their .99 has expended itself.

Overall, Collision Effect is worth its asking price, especially if you dig the puzzles!