Stickets Review

It’s hard to find many iOS puzzle games that aren’t similar to others that I’ve played. Just when I thought that I’ve explored them all, Stickets comes into my life.

Sitckets seems simple at first, but don’t be fooled. Its stylish and minimalistic interface make it perfect for anyone to pick-up-and-play, but not everyone will be able to master all three stages.

Stickets includes three ways to play: space, time and puzzle. Space is the only mode that is unlocked. Players must score 50 on space to unlock time and then score 50 on time to unlock puzzle.

Playing is simple. Gamers drag one of the four L-shaped blocks from the bottom of the screen onto a small grid. When put together, these blocks make up a complete square. Each of these L-shaped blocks is made up of three different colors. Once one of the blocks is dragged onto the screen, it is replaced by another one of the same shape.

Gamers earn a point for each piece placed on the grid. The goal is to create groups of three or more of the same color. Once this is achieved, just tap on the group to remove the blocks from the screen. When players run out of space, the game comes to an abrupt end. The key really is to use a bit of strategy to make it far. Removing large groups of blocks and placing pieces in just the right locations can help players rack up high scores.

Time mode is played in a similar fashion to the space mode except all the blocks are ticking time bombs. Gamers lose a life for every block that explodes and earn back lives by removing large groups. Unfortunately, I never made it to puzzle mode. It seems almost impossible to score 50 on the time mode, and I wish that there was another way to unlock it.

Stickets comes with a couple fun perks. Gamers can work hard to unlock different block themes so they aren’t stuck playing with the same red, yellow and blue pieces, and there are also Game Center achievements to earn and leaderboards to climb.

Besides an incredibly difficult time mode, the only other disappointment is that there is no iPad version. Stickets would look great on the iPad, which is my go-to device when it comes to playing games. Hopefully it is made universal soon.

All in all, Stickets has all the right elements for an addicting puzzle game. I thought that it seemed too simple at first, but I was definitely wrong. I can’t stop playing it so it will stay on my home screen for a long time.