Puxers is a fun and challenging numbers game that channels similar experiences from the likes of 2048, but also mixes things up. There’s a slippery game board surface with pucks on it, these need to be fired across the board at the same number to create a larger number, this results in ever-bigger numbers and fewer pucks to match them to. Over time, the game area can get quite full as new numbers are constantly being added. This makes the game fairly tricky overall, but those that stick with the game and keep on matching as many pucks as they can will collect Crowns and the more Crowns that people collect, the higher score they’ll achieve. Players can keep on matching pucks for as long as they like, and the game has potential to keep people playing for hours. They have to keep on matching them however, as if they run out of matches, it’s game over.
First of all, players will need to download Puxers from the Play Store for free. Once it’s installed, it’s pretty simple to get started, and Puxers will give new players a rundown of how to play.
As players keep on going, more pucks will hit the game area, and they’ll need to use their head to navigate the different numbers to hit the right one. Handily, the numbers are also color-coded, which I thought was a neat little touch.
Things can start off a little slowly, as shown below, but the game does soon heat up and what’s nice about Puxers is that the pace of play is entirely up to the play. You can make careful decisions in your own pace, or you can go ahead and fire pucks off as quickly as you like.
The score is displayed in the top-left corner, and as Puxers features great Google Play Games integration, players will get achievements and awards as they play.
Timing and speed can play an important role in your success when playing Puxers. For instance, in the below screenshot I’ve set up a pretty decent combo opportunity, but how hard and fast I send the Pucks flying will determine how well I’ll do after this move.
Not paying attention to this could result in a messy game board, which can make it fairly difficult to efficiently match pucks together, without causing yourself further trouble down the line.
At the top of the display, there is a series of dots, when these fill up, you won’t be given any more pucks to match up. When this happens, you have to match pucks already in play for this meter to go down again and for Puxers to give you more pucks. If you fail to match any pucks after this, it’s essentially game over, but players can either pay $0.99 or watch an ad to undo their last move and get a second chance to continue.
Should you choose not to watch an ad or pay for a second chance, it’ll be game over and you’ll be presented with a score.
There’s no denying that Puxers is a fairly simple game, but that also means that it’s a breath of fresh air. The prevailing mechanic of matching even numbers together to create larger ones is certainly not all that original, but the extras on top work pretty well here. How quickly you fire off the pucks makes a big difference, and creating combos adds a little strategy and requires forethought that will please puzzle players, as well as those looking to test their brains a little further. With a pleasant look and feel, and a steady game pace that doesn’t ask players to either work too quickly or too slowly, Puxers is good-natured Android gaming. I wish that there wasn’t the option to pay $0.99 to keep on playing, but considering that ads rarely appear and the game is free to play, we can’t be too bothered by that overall. For those looking for a fairly relaxing, yet comfortably-challenging game on Android, Puxers is definitely a good choice, no doubt about it.
Ratings
- Speed (4/5) – Puxers runs nice and smoothly, and the game pace is entirely up to the player, with no pesky clock or timer in sight.
- Theme (4/5) – With a pleasant look and feel, there’s nothing to complain about here in terms of theme, and little touches like some sound effects and color-coded pucks make a nice difference.
- Features (4/5) – With gameplay that allows people to choose how quickly they play, while challenging their math skills, Puxers has a lot on offer and it can become quite addictive over time.
- Overall (4/5) – With a decent amount of gameplay on offer, a quality look and feel and a lot of polish, this is one brainteaser game that should appeal to a lot of people.
Pros
- Doesn’t ask players to rush or play with a timer ticking away, they can choose their own pace.
- Simple gameplay is easy to understand, yet difficult to master, giving users a challenging experience overall.
- Combos give players a little added strategy and asks them for some forethought, adding a further challenge.
- Simple, yet difficult to master, Puxers is a game that should appeal to all sorts of ages, something we can’t always say for every game on Android.
Cons
- Asks players for $0.99 at the end of each game to carry on and undo their last move.
- Other game modes would be a nice way of making things a little more exciting for players tired of the standard gameplay.
All-in-all, Puxers is a fun and entertaining game for Android. It might not be the sort of thing everyone is looking for in a game, but for those looking for a puzzler with a little something about it, this should suit well. The gameplay might not be all that original, but it’s a refreshing take on similar games, and definitely has a lot to offer users that want to take their time playing a game or test how long their brains can keep up with the influx of ever-larger numbers.