IGF finalist Drop 7 is a superb puzzle game with a refined aesthetic, challenging play, and lasting value.
Superb Puzzle Gameplay: Innovative, challenging to master yet simple to learn, strategic, and addictive
Sharp Interface and Presentation: Minimalist approach to aesthetics is a strong suit. Elegant and Refined.
Great Value: $2.99 is a great deal, 2 gameplay modes, takes a long time for it to feel old
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IGF mobile game finalist, Drop 7 may have lost a tight awards race to Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor (the other runner-up was Hook Champ) in 2009 but let there be no doubt, this is one fantastic puzzle game. With innovative yet easy-to-learn gameplay, a crisp presentation, and 2 gameplay modes, Drop 7 is a true great.
Perhaps the best place to start is with the gameplay. The goal of drop 7 is two-fold: first, to score as many points as possible, which is achieved by clearing numbers from the board and scoring multipliers; second, to last as long as you can, making sure that no numbers are pushed off the screen to (what would be) height row 8. The drop 7 board consists of 7 x 7 tiles high and across, and in turn-based fashion numbers appear at the top of the screen for you to "drop" into any position. Every block is either a number (1-7) or an uncovered number (1-7) that you need to reveal.
You clear numbers/blocks by their being in a numbered location down or left/right that corresponds to the number. So if you drop a 7 into a row with 6 other blocks, it will disappear. If you drop a 1 next to a 2, the 2 will disappear, followed by the 1, assuming there are no blocks/numbers adjacent to it, which achieves multiplier points. If a 4 is in position 3 from the bottom and you pass to the next level, a new row of uncovered blocks will appear on the bottom row, making the 4 disappear and possibly setting off a chain if you have other numbers that correspond around it. If you have a 6 in a row of 7 across or down, however, it won't disappear until there are only 6 in the row. If you've got a few 6's however, and the row reaches 6, all of them will disappear. I know it might sound complex, and it's hard to explain, but it's really very very intuitive to play.
In Normal mode, not only will numbers appear to place, but also blocks that need to be revealed. Whenever a number disappears on the board (which i will get to) any surrounding covered-block will start to break. If it's weakened twice, the number formerly hidden is revealed. Each level consists of a set of turns which, when completed, moves you to the next level which causes a set of covered-over blocks to appear on the bottom row. The challenge is thus continuing to clear out blocks/numbers so that no block is pushed to row 8. In hardcore mode, each level consists of many fewer turns, so that new uncovered blocks continue to appear at the bottom of the screen at a rapid pace, but no uncovered blocks will appear for you to drop. Both modes are exciting and challenging, requiring strategic thought to complete, and mad strategy to chain multipliers.
Drop 7 will track all of your statistics moving forward for both game modes, showing both your last game score and your cumulative score, and whether it has increased or decreased. For playing over the long term, it's gratifying to see your overall average score continue to climb as you get better and better at the game. However, as much as Drop 7 promotes high scores from multipliers, which involve a lot of strategy (and a bit of luck) even as a novice you'll find the gameplay itself to be incredibly gratifying.
To top it off, the presentation is crisp and the aesthetics minimalist yet quite strong. The black board with colored number tiles is both very practical and yet quite elegant. The sound design follows suit as well, with simple sound effects that lean to the pragmatic side, and the music while not necessarily being up to Phillip Glass stuff, is minimal as well in a good way, with simple tones that accentuate the play and promote thoughtfulness rather than haste.
If you own an Iphone, you owe it to yourself to play Drop 7. It's easily on par with the other puzzle greats on the system like Osmos, Shibuya, and Zen Bound. So if you're looking for a game that will consume a lot of time, is easy to pick up and play, and exudes quality from start to finish, drop $2.99 in the itunes store for Drop 7!
9.4/10