Iconfactory debuts Frenzic for iPhone
Iconfactory and ARTIS Software have released Frenzic for iPhone, a fast-paced puzzle game that matches the piece and color combination skills of Bejeweled with a series of pie-shaped game boards.
The game is an ideal timewaster -- my favorite kind of game -- perfect for waiting in line or on the subway.
Frenzic starts off easy enough: you're presented with a colored pie slice, and you must move it from the center of the game board to one of six other pies. Simply complete each pie with six pieces of any color, though matching colors wins extra points and bonuses. A video showing how the game is played is available here.
As you progress, the time you have available to park the current pie slice decreases. Gameplay gets challenging when you are given a piece for a position you already have six of: then you lose a life.
Daring Fireball's John Gruber noted yesterday (and I agree) that gameplay is ideally suited to the touch interface. He said that while the desktop version required precise mousing, the mobile version is perfect for finger-based gameplay.
Additionally, the sound design is excellent, with a scheme that matches the visual design very well. Even buttons that look like normal iPhone buttons have sounds associated with them, which is a nice touch. That said, the game is extremely playable without headphones, too.
Frenzic is well worth the $4.99, and is available in the App Store. The desktop version of Frenzic is also available starting at $10. ($15 buys you access to online features like statistics and friend tracking for life.)
Also, if you're interested, Frenzic developer Craig Hockenberry has some tips related to his experience launching Frenzic about how to time your worldwide launch. He links to some awesome screenshots of prototype designs, too.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
zoara said 12:11PM on 11-20-2008
Addicted already
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gareth.sloan@gmail.com said 12:56PM on 11-20-2008
This game always make me think of cheese
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balls said 1:12PM on 11-20-2008
Or trivial pursuit.
Jash Sayani said 12:37PM on 11-20-2008
Will buy it some time later... Already spent a lot on iPhone games... Just purchased Mastermind, its an amazing game!! Maybe, TUAW should review it....
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Rico-San said 3:27PM on 11-20-2008
About damn time! I love playing this game on my 'Book, and I always thought that it would be much better playing it on something that has a touchscreen. This kind of game begs to be played on a touch device. I'm sold on it. Bought.
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Samue said 3:15PM on 11-20-2008
I still think the original IconFactory website looked better, I'm never going to change my mind on that one!
http://files.iconfactory.net/downloads/animations/Normal/
R.I.P.
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Sean Flanagan said 4:28PM on 11-20-2008
I'm somewhat disappointed, since the web version for the iPhone was free.
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adamcb said 5:08PM on 11-21-2008
Played it last night for about three hours straight. LOVED IT.
Installed iPhone OS 2.2 update today. Uh, oh...
Lots of crashes. Can only get it to load about half the time. Needs an update! It's super-addictive - when it works!
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