geoSpark is yet another app with geometrical shapes and copious amounts of flashy fireworks, but instead of creating another shooter or tower defense derivative, Critical Thought Games decided to focus their energy on perfecting a "drag-n-smash" survival game. Although you'd be hard pressed to find a single word in this artsy app, you can pick up its simple premise by paying close attention to its four included tutorials. With the pulsating soundtrack keeping a steady beat and swelling with your progress, geoSpark successfully sets itself apart from its siblings by being a game that's pure pick up and play fun without any of those confounding turrets and vortex towers -- something that caught me completely off guard the first time I gave it a try.
To survive in geoSpark, you have to make sure that none of the
dissimilar shapes and colors touch. If any of your green targets touch
a hulking purple star (or vice versa, for example), your high score is
done for. To avoid this, you can pop any shapes that float into view
with a quick tap for ten points, or skillfully rack up a huge combo by
dragging a certain shape into as many of its similars as possible.
Careful, though: as you deftly slam that red triangle into more
triángulos rojos, your mass quickly transforms into a black hole of
sorts that'll suck in every nearby shape -- especially those
toxic ones. This is a plus when you're an advanced player looking to
draw out other objects (or when you're dealing with ten of a kind), but
it quickly becomes a double-edged sword that'll end your game if you
can't keep your focus on all the shapes that are flying on-screen.Since
it's ultimately your decision to hold onto your shapes and tempt fate
with a massive combo, geoSpark's difficulty is able to organically
adjust to its player. While it's never a cakewalk, it's your choice
whether you get 2,000 points in the first 30 seconds or take five
minutes popping every individual object to get the same score. It all
seems slightly overwhelming at first, but once you get how to draw out
objects and string together combos into multipliers, you can time your
combos perfectly to keep the action moving. Since each round can take
anywhere between one-to-five minutes (longer once you're l33t), it's
the perfect companion for all those times when you only have time to
shoot for a high score.
Unfortunately, without a campaign mode (or anything beyond high scores, Open Feint,
and "play"), geoSpark might not be enough for those used to other geo*
games that come with a considerable campaign. But in my opinion, its
simplicity makes it a perfect $0.99 "pick up and play" app -- it's
quick, extremely challenging, and utterly satisfying for both newbies
and advanced players alike. While I'd like to see better color
differentiation and higher combo incentives once things get crazy
around 3,500 points, geoSpark is great as it stands.
The Verdict:
Will geoSpark get you interested in yet another game riffing Geometry Wars? Oddly enough, yes! Critical Thought Games were one of the first developers to embrace the style with geoDefense,
and their proficiency in the genre clearly shows. The explosions are
plentiful and satisfying; the gameplay's quick and exciting; and more
importantly, it's extremely addicting.
Is it worth $0.99? Very much so. In my opinion, geoSpark is the first game that truly
captures the high scoring thrill of the XBLA classic in a way that
feels both fresh and familiar. You'll definitely get your money's worth
here, folks.
