QuickLook.Technobrains

I love match 3 games, and I really appreciate it when developers try to do something different with the concept.  As such, I thank the developers of Board@Work for attempting to shake things up a bit with their office related match 3 game.  Unfortunately, there’s not enough oomph to make this one stand out from the pack.  As I try and play this I can’t help but think that Board@Work = Bored-While-Playing.

Like any other match 3 game, the object of Board@Work is to get 3 or more objects of the same type lined up in a row or column.  In this case, you can also match the color of the square, and not just the objects on the squares.  Also, while a piece is initially laid randomly on the screen – a nice change of pace from the usual “fall from the sky” approach to refilling the board – you can a piece anywhere on the board that’s open and not blocked by another piece.  This goes for any piece at any time.  There are 5 game play modes, and in each mode you keep playing until either the board is full or one of the other conditions of the mode is met.

Multi-Player Mode

In Standard and Normal mode it’s just “play until the board is full”.  In Quota 250 mode you try and earn the highest score you can with only 250 blocks.  In Cram Down mode you play until the border of the playing field is filled with “save” blocks.  Finally there’s 5:00 Deadline mode, where you get 5 minutes to make as many matches as you can.  Aside from the additional limitations the various modes don’t seem to add much to the game play, which for the most part feels quite slow.

Besides the conditions of each mode and the possibility of the board filling up, the only real obstacle is the “save” object.  This object can’t be moved or matched.  Instead, it must be erased.  So, we’ll now cover the four tools you have at your disposal.  The glass cleaner allows you to completely clear the board.  The eraser lets you get rid of one object (“save” squares anyone?).  The makers allow you to pick a color and then change any object to that color.  All of these are randomly awarded, though it appears to be based on usefulness, because I have gotten my share of markers and erasers but never a glass cleaner.  The final tool is a clock that temporarily pauses the flow of new objects to let you rearrange what you’ve currently got on the board.  This one is awarded for every 50 blocks that are matched.

The controls are very straightforward.  To move pieces around, simply drag them where you want to go.  To use the glass cleaner or clock tap the appropriate tool twice.  To activate the eraser you tap on it, then tap on the piece(s) you wish to erase.  The eraser will remain active until all of them are used or you click somewhere besides a piece.  To use the marker you drag your finger across the markers until the color you want to use is active, and then click on a piece to apply the color. Clicking on the markers again will deactivate them.

The graphics in Board@Work are okay.  The tools actually look pretty cool, but then the pieces look like home grown art.  This would be fine had they used objects like people, cats and dogs, and might have even fit into the whole “workplace” theme – like the objects were artwork from the employees’ kids.  Instead, the objects appear to be the remnants of a spilled box of Lucky Charms.  There aren’t any real special effects, and the whole atmosphere is just kind of bland.  The sound effects don’t add much to the ambiance, and the ticking between pieces appearing on the board actually gets kind of annoying after a while.  It’s like trying to fall asleep right next to an old grandfather clock.  There’s no music, which this game desperately needs to add some character to the aesthetics.

While not quite as plentiful as word games, there is certainly an over-saturation of match 3 games in the App Store, which means each new entry has to do it’s best to be different.  The other half to the equation, however, is that the differences have to make the game more enjoyable, and it’s here that Board@Work seems to have missed the mark.  It was a valiant attempt, but in the end it just couldn’t hold my interest.

Final Verdict: Not Recommended
App Shopper Link
App Store Link

[Note: image courtesy of App Shopper]

The concept of the match 3 game is cool, but too many of them are patterned too closely after Bejeweled with no originality. Thankfully, the developers behind Sushi City had a different vision behind their game. In this game you run the counter of a sushi bar, and you must keep your patrons fed and happy by matching three or more of the same type of sushi to serve them a meal. When you match 3 or more of an item it will be tossed on a plate and served to the appropriate customer, who will then sit there and eat it with a smile on their face, at which time you’ll earn some money. The cool thing is that as you level up you’ll get special items that can be served with a match for bonus points, including some items that will actually go bad if they sit too long (these items can be shoved off the side of the board to discard them).

Servin' Up Some Sushi

Instead of the “swap two items” method of control, Sushi City employs the “slide a row or column” method to match up items. The problem is there seems to be a bit of momentum taken into account, and it’s very easy to think you’re lining something up right only to have the row or column move one or two more spaces then you intended. It’s not necessarily game threatening, but it can get annoying when it takes you two or three tries to make a match. To rotate between moving rows and moving columns you can either tap the Rotate button or click on the table of food itself. The button is more precise, but breaks up the flow of the game just a bit.

The graphics are very well done. I’m no sushi expert, so I can’t tell you what it should look like, but for the most part each item has a distinct look to it, making it pretty easy to make matches. The characters all have a nice cartoony look to them, and are well animated when they are eating; some of them even do things while they are waiting for their food. The sound effects in the game are decent enough, though I think it would have been amusing to have some munching noises for the characters as they are eating away. There’s no music during game play itself, but the funny thing is that I actually had to go back to the game and check, because I couldn’t remember if this was the case. I’m normally a stickler for lack of music, so that kind of surprised me.

Sushi City is a nice change of pace from the average match 3 game. The need to feed patrons is a nice twist and the different bonus items add to the game play. The presentation of the game is quite polished as well. If you’re into casual games, and especially the match 3 genre, there’s no reason not to give Sushi City a try.

Final Verdict: Recommended
App Store Link
AppShopper Link