Bartelme Design’s Dash Ball [$3.99, App Store] caught my eye when it was first released a number of weeks ago. It is a break-out game that adds a unique puzzle element to the traditional formula. The game is described by the developer:
Dashball is an exciting action puzzle game where the goal is to destroy colored blocks by controlling a bouncing ball. Solve the 25 challenging puzzles by moving blocks and changing the ball’s color using the switcher blocks avoiding the skulls.
In Dashball, there is a ball that is constantly bouncing up and down. As the player, you can control the ball’s left and right movements.
The goal of each level is to simply remove all the colored blocks. The color of the ball dictates which blocks you can destroy, and the color of the ball can be changed by colliding with special color-changing blocks. “Skull" blocks must be avoided or you lose a life, and special boxes can be moved by colliding against them. Levels are constructed as individual puzzles which you must “solve".
The game itself is very well implemented with a polished feel to it. I found the controls worked much better with touch screen rather than accelerometer, so I would recommend starting there. My experience with the gameplay, however, was mixed. While the game itself was fun, some levels require long runs of precise play in order to complete. If you make a mistake, you can find yourself having to repeat long portions which can be tedious.
Fortunately, a free Lite version [App Store] of the game was just released, so you can try it yourself. A preview video shows some of the gameplay:
The full version of the game contains 25 levels, while the lite version contains 5.
App Store Link: Dash Ball LE (free), Dash Ball ($3.99)
Disclaimer: Dashball is a current sponsor of the site
