Thwart

I’d like to start with a look at the graphics in this game; a game where the graphics are crisp and clear, with contrasting colours used for the background and different tile types. I can tell that the developer intended this game not only to be colourful but also easy to understand, as there are clear instructions and even a ‘hints’ feature.

Thwart is one of those cool games where there are no in-app purchases or ads popping up everywhere. You get what you pay for . . . which is a really fun game that you can choose to either be difficult if you want a challenge, or a walk in the park if you just want to play to relax. There are two ways in which you can increase the difficulty of this game. One way is to use the move timer, which you can set in the ‘Options’ menu. Here you can put a time limit on your response time from 4 seconds, down to a rapid game play setting of 1 second. You can also make the game more difficult by selecting a more difficult game type. This is a game with seven different game type levels!

The different game types include: singles, doubles, triples, quads, singles+, mixtures and the mind scrambling mixtures+ level. This game is currently priced at $1.99 and is well worth it, especially for the amount of fun this game provides for challenging friends to quick games. This is another plus point for Thwart as the games are quick and not drawn out like some other games. Let’s face it, everyone seems busy in this competitive day and age, so quick, fun, cool games that can be played in a coffee shop for example, with a friend are very handy.

Thwart developers have even made up a dedicated Thwart Facebook Page , so any questions can be posted to the Facebook page or alternatively to their developer support site.

So what game would be good to select as your first game in Thwart just after downloading the app? I would recommend singles first as it is a game type where the rules are very straightforward, you must position each colour separately, so that no same-coloured tiles are touching either vertically or horizontally. Then I would recommend moving onto doubles and then a game type involving higher skill levels, such as ‘mixtures’.

This is a game that can be played between 2 – 4 players as well as being played solo. The object of the game is to ‘thwart’ your opponent. In a nutshell, this means positioning your tile placements so that it is impossible for your opponent to place their tile. The last person to place a tile wins. One of those cool games where it will be easy to explain the game to your friend in a matter of seconds.

I always like to suggest future update ideas for the developer . . . maybe one idea would be an option to disable the mistake warning, as in when you make a wrong move it warns you and you have to replay the move. Having an option to disable this feature would maybe be fun as this would put even more difficulty into the game, as one mistake would get you ‘thwarted’. This is only an idea for the developer for future updates and is merely a suggestion, as thwart is a game that is fine just the way it is.

In all, a game that is really addictive. One of those rare cool games that is difficult to put down!

Hi, Kevin Baker here reviewing ‘Thwart’, a universal iOS app by Thwart Games, which is a tactical tile placement game, and good fun to play. We’ll just start the app up here . . . Opening Screen: Here in the main menu there are four options available, including the ‘Getting Started Menu’ which we’ll take a look at here. Click on ‘Getting Started – Click on ‘What Is Thwart?’ So, what exactly is thwart? Here we can see that it’s a mixture of skill and a small amount of luck. The player who places the final tile wins. Click on ‘The Tiles’: There are 16 different tile placement areas and we’ll be placing 4 different coloured tiles in each of these free squares. Click on ‘The Board’: Here we can see the board with the 16 free tile placement areas empty. I won’t click on the other tutorial headings as we’ll be learning to play by actual demonstration. Click on ‘Back’ – ‘New Game’: You can play with up to 4 players or solo in 7 different game types. Let’s play a game of singles first . . . Click on ‘Singles’: As you can see we have a timer at the base of the screen that will record how fast we clear the level. The object of this level is to place each separate tile on the board without there being a tile of the same colour placed next to it either horizontally or vertically. Deliberate Mistake As you can see, if I try to place a tile of the same colour next to each other either horizontally or vertically it doesn’t allow me to. Game Finish: When you place your final tile it let’s you know the time taken and also your best time for that level. New Game: Let’s start a game of doubles . . . Click on Doubles: In a doubles game we need to place two coloured tiles next to each other. I’m playing this game solo which is fun, but to play this game against another player must be really fun too. If you can’t place a tile you will lose and be ‘thwarted’ out of the game, so if you play against friends you will not only have to think about being able to place a tile but also tactically, to make it as difficult as possible for your opponent to place a tile. Options: Looking at the options menu here you can see that there is a countdown option which either a 4 second, 3 second, 2 second or even a 1 second time limit on moves. This is a fun option that the developer has added here as this can add pressure and increase the difficulty as you don’t have so much time to think. You can add up to 4 different players and input their names in the options menu too. Back – New Game: Now, I want to show you the seven different types of games here again as there is really a varied amount of different game types that you can choose from here. You can choose more complex games and the easy to understand rules are readily available in the ‘Getting Started Menu’. Let’s click on singles plus . . . Click on Singles+: Here I need to place tiles so that they are not next to each other as in a normal game of ‘Singles’, but with the added challenge of not being able to place the tiles on the same horizontal or vertical line of squares running up and down the board. This game includes a hints feature if you need a bit of in game help which will be especially good if children have a go at playing this game. Click on Mixtures: This is a game of ‘Mixtures’ where each coloured tile type is randomly assigned either singles, doubles, triples or quads. This level really gets you thinking! In all, I really like this game as it is easy to grasp and play. It’s even easier to understand when you actually pick up and play the game first hand. I like the colour contrasts and crisp, clear graphics in the game. I can tell that the developer has deliberately not over-complicated the game which is refreshing. The main menu is nice and straightforward, good interface design there. Above all it is a challenging game to play solo, and great fun to play with friends. Well, that’s all from me reviewing ‘Thwart’ by Thwart games. Thank you for watching.

Genre: Price: Developer: Size: NAN Age Rating:
Graphics
Fun level
Audio
Summary	4.3