The next game is sort of a hybrid between Labyrinth and Rolando. The 2 previous games are now iPhone classics, can this next game be one?

Equilibrio ($3.99)

With pretty much any game that involves tilting of materials around, physics is going to be a concern. More so if you include different chemical make ups of different objects, you’ll need to find a way to visually and auditorily differentiate the objects.

Fishing Monkey does a pretty decent job at this latest game that twists the fundamentals of collecting stars, tilting rounded objects and entering holes.

Design

The game uses some very earth toned colors on the game. It  actually blends pretty nicely to the gameplay and gives Equilibrio a unique athmosphere around it. Different textures are also used for the background such as wooden or sandy:

Gameplay

To control the balls, simply tilt your iPhone. As we mentioned previously, Equilibrio comes with different balls of different properties so you’d find yourself adjusting to each balls speed:

There are three modes: Conquest, Challenge and Random:

Conquest is having to complete all Equlibrio levels without the pressure of time. Challenge asks you to complete 5 levels at a time and following requirements such as not dying 3 times or completing levels under time pressure. Random is simply the game choosing a random level for you to play.

Conquest comes with a level selector in which you can see the level backgrounds and the ball to use:

You need to collect as much stars as you can for higher points and getting to the finish hole without dying:

Elements like trampolines, cannon balls and huge wall gaps add the challenge to the game:

Nice Touches

• Multi Profile. Equilibrio allows multi profile saves. Always a nice feature.
• Fun and easy to pick up. Doesn’t get boring at all and wonderfully put together.
• Skip Levels. Levels can be skipped regardless of how far you’re at in game completion.

Suggestions

• Too Much Tapping. Currently, you need to tap to enter a level, another tap to remove the tip screen before you start and a third tap to finally get the ball rolling. I think the game only needs a tap to enter a level… 3 seconds for the tip then a 3.2.1 countdown starts then the ball automatically gets released.
• Fails Visual Recognition of a Rolling Ball. This is our biggest concern for the game, and this is probably why some people are saying physics are off. The balls are too small which leads to the players not seeing the ball rotating. There’s also these little colored 2 x 3 pixel dots on top of the balls which throws us off. The game comes with smoke animations when you suddenly break, so it bedazzles us why there are those little colored dots. The ball then looks like it’s stationary when you’re rolling it which leads to disorientation. The sound effects are outstanding, but there needs to be some synchronization with the ball visually.

Conclusion

The game is still a fun game regardless of our biggest concern. The production value alone is worth what you’ll be paying for. Fishing Cactus has also come up with an update within days of its release and that’s a great damn quick turn around. We expect and trust them to do something with the physics problem we mentioned above. Other than that, the game is a must have.