SHAPES is a Puzzle game for Android that is designed to be good fun as well as calming and relaxing. It’s designed with a simple and clean interface, not cluttered with ads, and there’s calming music playing throughout all 100 levels. However, it’s not yet another easy Puzzle game as it can be difficult to master as you get further on into those 100 levels. Every fifth level there’s a fun and different puzzle, and once you get towards halfway or so the whole game becomes a little more difficult with trickier puzzles. A mix of Tetris and small jigsaw puzzles, SHAPES ask that you put together different pieces to form a perfect square, and while this is definitely a relaxing game, it’s no walk in the park, either.
First of all, you’ll need to download SHAPES from the Play Store. Then, you can go through the quick and interactive tutorial.
The controls are pretty basic and therefore easy to work with; all you need to do is to drag a shape into the square, and you can tap each item to rotate it. Right away, you can see that the interface is clean and calming, with a subtle shadow applied to the puzzle and even though the game is free, there are no ads in the game’s interface.
As you can see, the first few levels are fairly easy, and there’s a simple counter at the top of screen to tell you how far into the 100 levels you are. Each fifth level, you’re presented with a little something different.
This fun little puzzle turned out to be a ghost from the Pac-Man games, but I was unable to capture it before it disappeared. SHAPES is a fairly easy puzzle game when you first start out, but in the later levels I was starting to find things a little more difficult.
See, here I’ve done things in the wrong order, and in later levels I have to think of the right order in which to do things. This makes things a little trickier, but luckily you can just hit the refresh icon in the bottom-left and restart the level. As time went on, I was finding that I had to use logic a lot more in newer puzzles.
While things are just starting to get difficult for me here, the further into these 100 levels you get, the more tricky things become.
SHAPES is a nice change of pace from other puzzle games available on Android, and while it might not be the most exciting game available, it has a lot to offer. Not only is it calming and relaxing, but it can help you use your brain in different ways you didn’t know were possible, it’s all about logical thinking and the right order to do things in. Once you’ve mastered that, you’re good to go. Having said that, things get much harder once you break out of the first 20 levels or so, and with there being 100 levels on offer, there’s more than enough on offer for even the most hardened puzzle fans. The soothing and calming music is nice as well, and the whole look and feel of the game is relaxing, certainly a good game to relax at the end of a hard day with, while also keeping your brain nice and sharp.
Ratings
- Speed (4/5) – The pacing of the game is up to you, and the performance is good.
- Theme (4.5/5) – Combining such a simple and appealing theme with some calm and gentle music, SHAPES is one of the more relaxing games available on Android.
- Features (4/5) – With a mix of Tetris and other games thrown in, SHAPES is an approachable puzzle game that just lets people get on with things at their own pace.
- Overall (4/5) – For a fun and appealing game that doesn’t ask too much of the player, SHAPES is well worth taking a look at, especially if you’re looking for a change of pace.
Pros
- Relaxing game to play at the end of a hard day.
- Approachable yet challenging puzzle game for players of all skill levels.
- Ads only appear every so many levels, they do not get in the way of the game interface.
- Every fifth level there is a fun puzzle that acts as a sort of ice-breaker.
Cons
- 100 levels might not be enough for those very experienced players.
- Ability to choose your own soothing music from your device would be a nice addition.
SHAPES was a lot of fun for me, and it’s a great way of relaxing or clearing your mind while also working out your gray matter. More about actually chilling out and unwinding, SHAPES is a decent puzzle game, but the 100 levels might not be enough for hardened puzzlers. Still, the difficulty gradually increases and once you get halfway, things can be quite challenging, so there’s no shortage of gameplay here.