Drop7 iPhone Review
Time spent writing this is time not playing Drop7...
Do you like numbers? And not a in casual way, either. I mean, you covet numbers in a way that would have gotten you stoned in the public square 2,000 years ago. If so, Drop7 is your next iPhone download.
Positioned as a sort of Tetris-meets-Sudoku puzzler, Drop7 is one of those sneak attack puzzlers that seems mildly interesting in level 2 and becomes a borderline obsession by level 10. You drop numbered tokens into a grid that is a 7x7 square. The numbers on the tokens go up to 7. When the number on your token equals the number of tokens either in that token's row or column, it vanishes. Combos erupt when disappearing tokens reduce the number of tokens in a row or column to match the numbers on other tokens. You can set up some pretty cool chains if you're clever.
There are gray tokens that obscure the number until you clear two normal tokens next to it. These severely complicate the game, but in a smart way. Gray tokens count toward the number of tokens in a row or column, so you can still set up combos. Of course, these are a little more luck-based, since you don't know the actually number under the gray.
Sometimes it is difficult to describe exactly why a game grabs you. The simplicity of Drop7's concept is largely the reason for me. Within 60 seconds, you understand everything you need to know about the game. Plus, the game gets tough, but it's not evil. Logic prevails since you're dealing in absolutes. And so at no point does it feel unfair, allowing you to quickly get into a groove. The first time I played Drop 7, I hovered over it for about 45 minutes without looking up. That's a good game.
Drop7 is a steal at just 99 cents. This is an intelligent puzzle game with a great concept and consistent logic. It doesn't tilt the tables to make itself harder -- it can't since it traffics in one of the universe's only absolutes: math. I highly recommend it to any puzzle fan, especially those that fancy their Sudoku.