Written By: Daniel Scott

Digital Chocolate appeases the angry puzzle gods and scores you a hot island princess.

Diamond Islands ($2.99 – On Sale; Free)

Diamond Islands is a multistage puzzle game that has a high replay value. The game takes you into the ancient world full of islanders, huts, gods and more. The theme sets this puzzler apart from the rest. The challenge and the enjoyment you get from the game is something that you can’t ever take down.

Are you ready to immense yourself into their world?

Synopsis

Basically you are caught with the tribal chief’s daughter, but the future father-in-law is amazed to see how brave you are by appeasing the gods, restoring the stars (split into diamonds scattered about each level) and saving the villages.

You and your really short, tiny friends will help move a blocky totem pole, picking up the diamonds on the path to the final destination point . The totem can only move end over end, or side over side one pace at a time by swipe controls. Like a classic puzzler, there’s some planning involved. Each puzzle (or island) requires strategy to unlock more levels in the fewest steps.

Gameplay

Regardless of the metrosexual tribal hero (look at the app icon to see why, jk), the graphics are good, colorful, and well polished. On my first attempt, the game forces you into a simple tutorial, making the gameplay easy to pick up and learn quick. Once the controls are ingrained, the difficulty increases per island unlocked, the way a puzzle type is supposed to be.

The interface is simple, and the features are easy to spot to help along the way. Again, the tutorial points them out for future use. In case of short term memory loss, there is an Instructions Menu as well to recap. There are ten different archipelagos, and each island is a level, that makes 100 levels with room to grow in future updates. As an old school gamer, games like Lolo, Bubble Bobble, and Kickle Cubicle come to mind with these many levels and variations to solve. The further you go, the more obstacles you face.

For example in the Wheel Islands Level 10, I can’t move no more than 49 paces or the totem breaks. So a challenge is there even in fewer steps to be made. To push the game’s depth a little further, spells are awarded as achievements. 30 in all, and unlockable during gameplay. While this no effect on gameplay, it’s there just for those who feel the need to unlock the entire app’s contents. I am one of those, denial is not just river in Egypt.

Sound

Music is “islandish” and I end up turning the music off after a while. But it’s good background music for the genre. Thankfully there is a setting menu to turn off either the music and/or the sound effects.

Conclusion

I am a fan of good puzzle games. My iphone is full of puzzle games, this one stands out well and worthy of my front page. If your significant other snakes your iDevice from you over this game, go to Digital Chocolate’s website, they ported it in several formats, including a PC desktop version.

This is a well built game with effective instructions to make your favorite in no time. Some folks say quality over quantity, and I agree. However this game delivers both. Lots of gameplay, easy to digest in small bites and at your own pace. Well worth the 5 bucks (currently on sale for $2.99) spent.