Gravity Lab! Review
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Gravity Lab! Review

Our Review by Jennifer Allen on August 1st, 2011
Rating: starstarstarstarblankstar :: FANTASTIC
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Gravity Lab! is an accomplished and compelling physics puzzler. One that stands head and shoulders above much of the competition.

Developer: Mobile Snap
Price: $0.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0
Device Reviewed On: iPhone 4

Graphics / Sound Rating: starstarstarstarhalfstar
Game Controls Rating: starstarstarstarhalfstar
Gameplay Rating: starstarstarstarblankstar
Replay Value Rating: starstarstarstarblankstar

Overall Rating: starstarstarstarblankstar


Look at the screenshot to the right of this review. Look how impressive it looks. Gravity Lab! oozes that level of grandeur throughout. It might just sound like any old regular physics based puzzler but it adds a tremendous amount of class to the whole thing. I already took a brief look at Gravity Lab! when screenshots were released a few weeks ago and had high hopes. These turned out to be very well founded.

At first it all sounds pretty conventional. Players must use a mixture of gravity and careful aiming to collect up stars across 75 levels with stages unlocked as the more stars are gained. It's standard stuff but it's how it's implemented that makes Gravity Lab! special. Cutesy robot Steve can't hit the stars directly so instead players have to propel him towards the blocks that can be deflected in the appropriate direction to collide with the stars. This can be done quickly or by carefully lining up a shot and holding further back for greater speed. It's a control system that provides plenty of functionality and it's very easy to do. Chain reactions can quickly be created according to the block types. As the levels go on, trampoline pads, bombs and turbines appear which affect things. More importantly is that of the directional areas which change the color of the blocks thus affecting their direction. Green blocks go down while red ones go up, yellow go right and blue go left.

The first few levels introduce these concepts carefully ensuring that things aren't too challenging at first. That's actually the only real problem I found with the game. I didn't feel overly challenged until halfway through the levels having acquired 106 out of the 125 stars needed to unlock the final 25 levels pretty easily. That's a minor con as after all I loved my time getting that far. Plus going back to gain all the stars to unlock the final section was pretty challenging. It does make me hope for new levels to be introduced soon by Mobile Snap though as I've found myself itching for more.

Not enough can be said about the visuals of Gravity Lab! as they are pretty astonishing. When there's only one star remaining, the screen zooms into the progress of the star just as a block potentially reaches it which adds an impressive effect to the whole thing. Levels can be quickly restarted too which although only something minor, really does ensure that the game is pure fun with no frustration in sight. It's those little touches of class that propel Gravity Lab! to the echelons of being a particularly great physics puzzler. This is certainly one to pick up.

iPhone Screenshots

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iPad Screenshots

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Gravity Lab! screenshot 6 Gravity Lab! screenshot 7 Gravity Lab! screenshot 8 Gravity Lab! screenshot 9 Gravity Lab! screenshot 10
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