App Profile: Lines On Sides

popovich

Rating: 5/5

Introduce a puzzle mechanic, have the player learn it. Introduce a second, have the player learn how it interacts with the first. Introduce a third, have the player learn how it interacts with the first two. Repeat for a fourth, then fifth. The puzzle mechanics here are solid and fairly easy to understand, but their interactions result an unexpected complexity. To me, that is the hallmark of a worthwhile puzzle game. In my play through, the learning curve was exactly steep enough to make the game rewarding. I am not an average player; what I find entertainingly hard might frustrate others. If you like a mental challenge though, I recommend trying this. My only criticism is that the game ended *just* as I felt like I understood it. I’m glad the author didn’t pad out length with a lot of levels that didn’t increase complexity, but perhaps some “encore” levels at the end or a progress bar would make the ending feel less abrupt. Overall, good work. I look forward to seeing what’s next!

whoseits

Rating: 3/5

I finally finished Lines On Sides. Level 29 is much too difficult, in fact, it’s the hardest one because the mechanic is hard to understand. If it had been possible to skip that level and go back to it after getting a better understanding of how the sliding mechanic works, I probably would not have spent many many hours solving level 29 and getting very frustrated in the process. It took me at least 5 times longer to solve level 29 than it did to complete all the other puzzles. Many developers force you to solve puzzles in sequence. I have never liked this approach. If developers allowed puzzles to be skipped and retried later there would be fewer frustrated players who dislike their game. Being able to completely forget what you have already tried because you’ve been analyzing something new, while gaining more experience in the process, allows the player to use a fresh approach when retrying a puzzle they have skipped.

StoryBookBob

Rating: 5/5

This deserves 5 stars because, if for no other reasons, the designer has created an intriguing puzzle and offers it (at least at this writing — 99 plus tax) without any ads and for less than the cost of cup of coffee. Yeh, like some of the other commenters, I’m struggling with the trickier levels, but so what? Apple Support, pay attention: there should be more apps like this one in your store, and a lot less of the other ‘Built In Purchases’ clutter.