It’s been over two years since we were initially enamoured by the iOS port of A Dark Room ($1.99). Having started off as an open-source release on PC from Canadian developer Michael Townsend, A Dark Room’s eventual transition to the App Store by Amir Rajan managed to capture a cult following with its incredibly basic and minimalist take on the RPG genre, culminating in a stint as #1 paid game on the UK store. However, A Dark Room was not the only product of Townsend’s abundant talent – Gridland also released on PC in 2014, and was a quirky match-three title that entrusted you with the task of lining up resources to grow your town during the day, while fighting off beastly creatures at night. While Gridland was initially playable within Safari, it never made the same transition to the App Store as A Dark Room. Thankfully, over two years later, we got something even better – Super Gridland ($1.99) has today showed up on the App Store, and retains the compulsive charm of its predecessor, whilst revamping the graphical style and presentation to result in one of the first essential puzzle titles for the iPhone in 2017.
Despite not having a proper release on iOS thus far, Super Gridland should be somewhat familiar to mobile gamers, as many of its elements can be seen in older puzzle games that have graced the App Store. From the brief trailer, I can spot characteristics from Triple Town (Free) and You Must Build A Boat ($2.99), both of which are the most enduring and entertaining puzzle titles on mobile, and Super Gridland will hopefully join such an illustrious list in time. Despite the similarities that can be drawn, Super Gridland is its own unique experience, and if A Dark Room is anything to go by, it should have a lot of hidden depth beneath the beautiful pixel art surface. Best of all, Super Gridland is a fully premium release, with no in-app purchases or ads beyond its $1.99 price point, and so is highly recommended for anyone who wants to pay once and lose theirselves – and all their free time – in its match three trappings. Puzzle fans and anyone who is partial for quality indie releases should check out Super Gridland on the App Store now – or, at the very least, give the online prequel a look – and be sure to head down to our forum thread for further discussion.
