Ambi Stacks Review

Anannya Sen’s Review

This is an innovative and addictive puzzle game that is fun to play.

Ambi Stacks is a puzzle game which is along the lines of others like tetris and puzzle bobble. The objective is to construct groups of 3 blocks of the same colour to get rid of them and gain points. You have two stacks to build on and the blocks come in two's. There's a time limit for you to place them as well.

The graphics are quite nicely done, the colours are bright and the backgrounds are cute. The timer is easy to see and the right hand side which has all the game info (scores, levels, next blocks etc) is the standard fare.

There is sound and vibration although these are minimal. When you make a block of three a little sound plays and if you make combo's higher sounds play. A few notes sound when you go up a level and your phone will also vibrate. This is a nice touch so you don't have to keep looking to see what level you are, you can just use the vibration to tell you when you have gone up a level.

The controls are pretty simple and you can use the directional or key pad. You have two columns to build on and the blocks come in two, joined at the middle. To swap colours around, use left or right. To move the blocks to the right height, use up or down and then just press the main button (or 5) to place them when they are where you want them.

The playability is pretty good. There are two columns to build on and you can move the blocks up to any height. You can swap colours as well so there are lots of strategic options to consider. Do you try and build lots of blocks of two and build up a big combo or do you try and keep the screen as clear as possible? Once you build to the top of your screen it's game over and there is also a timer bar which counts down how long you have to place the blocks. As you increase in level, this bar becomes a lot quicker giving you much less time to think. This is a fun game to play in the tradition of puzzle games.

The lastability is not bad either. There are three difficulty settings and the game is so straightforward once you get the hang of it that you can just pick it up and play anywhere anytime. It's ideal for a quick go on the tube or bus or great for longer car journeys as you try and beat your high score. The game is also a lot of fun and addictive as well. If you like Tetris and puzzle bobble style puzzle games, this is for you.