Pivvot Review
Price: $2.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0
Device Reviewed On: iPhone 5, iPad 2
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Pivvot explores the dynamic seen in a game like Super Hexagon: fast-paced rotation survival action that’s based on recognizing patterns and smart escape plans. But unlike that game, a more chill pace and a greater focus on educating the player makes this one shine and stand on its own.
While the Voyage modes that throw new sets of obstacles at players and serve as the progression side of the game can feel a bit repetitive after a while thanks to making players repeat surviving each obstacle as they see it for the first time, there’s a good reason for the repetition: this is about learning. Beating it in to the player that they need to know how to beat these obstacles, that they need to have a consistent plan for when they come up again later on, either randomly or in the fixed endless modes. In fact, I was a bit disappointed that the endless modes, especially Expert, loop around before 100 seconds are up. This was done to make scoring fair, but I’d still like to see an experimentation with randomized obstacle orders for variety, at least after ‘beating’ the mode at 100 seconds.
However, it’s the intelligence at the core of Pivvot, the fact that the game wants the player to learn how to succeed at its challenges, that makes it so satisfying to play. The music is definitely headphones-worthy too, with nifty tricks like a high-pass filter used for the “purgatory” sections that teach players about new obstacles. Plus, iCloud support! The Voyage modes are lengthy and challenging, the Endless modes add extra value, but it’s Berzerk that will keep me coming back for more. Check this out.