If you like puzzles and have a knack for finding the right placement of pieces, then check out Puzzle Place by Steven Grinder. A simple app, it provides players with endless hours of entertainment, testing visual acuity and aptitude, to correctly judge where block formations will go to create the final assembly. Final assemblies can differ, so no two puzzles are the same, which is what you would want from a good puzzle app.
The colorful and responsive app makes movement of pieces and the ability to view the entire playing screen clearer, which makes it easier to move around and see how you are progressing as you select pieces and slide them around and fit them.
Each puzzle features several block formations in different colors. Some will be made of one block, some will have two, some will have three, and so on. The puzzle field will also already have some black block formations upon which you will place the colored blocks. Your goal is to cover the black block areas with the colored blocks.
Two features which makes playing a lot smoother are Block Assist and Screen Assist. With Block Assist, when you place your finger on the screen, the app automatically moves the closest block near the tip of your finger, essentially choosing that as your next block to place. Both can be turned ON and OFF per your preferences. I found the Block Assist to be a bit of a nuisance, so I turned it off.
At the bottom of the screen, you will see how many hints you have. This is represented by the question mark with a tiny number by it. You will also see the number of moves you should be able to complete the puzzle in. You can also challenge a friend to a game to see who completes a puzzle first and you can quickly get back into the puzzle level screen to select the level of play.
Speaking of level of play, there are over 50 levels of game play, and you get access to a level after you’ve completed the previous one.
The only improvement I could impress upon the developer is to provide a description in the App Store about what you are aiming to accomplish. It’s not obvious if you are trying to build a particular shape, a rectangle or a square to complete the puzzle. Turns out you need to cover the black areas with the blocks you are given.
For a free game, Puzzle Place is provides entertainment that is clean, fun and easy for players of all ages. Solving puzzles is always a great exercise for the brain, and can help with fine tuning object recognition and special relationships in a fun way.
Rating: 9.5/ 10
Price: Free