Squares: Puzzle Game Simple mechanics, intuitive interface and puzzles that will make you scratch your head, but won't leave you disappointed… Free Buy Now Watch Media DetailsSimple mechanics, intuitive interface and puzzles that will make you scratch your head, but won't leave you disappointed!How to play: - tap on a square to move it - put the square on a circle, so that their colors match- think ahead Information Seller: Genre:Education, Puzzle Release:Aug 08, 2014 Updated:Nov 30, -0001 Version: Size:0.0 TouchArcade Rating:Unrated User Rating: (4) Your Rating:unrated Compatibility:HD Universal Subscribe to the TouchArcade YouTube channel Very recommended! Good tutorials inside, but it's quite simple. One square may push another one. Teleports. Direction changers. There are 48 levels to be unlocked by playing sequentially, but you can buy "unlock all levels" early if you want. Full support of iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, and iOS 8. iCloud support, auto sync progress on all your devices. Localization for 10 languages. ColeDaddy Silver Supporter<br>Moderator Staff Member Patreon Silver Patreon Gold Patreon Bronze Mar 20, 2010 4,185 108 63 Male Sojourner Washington D.C. #2 ColeDaddy, Dec 28, 2014 Great find, Habakuk! The game aesthetic and gameplay are in my wheelhouse. To support the dev for such a creative piece I spent the buck. Good stuff, man. mr_bez Well-Known Member Dec 20, 2012 2,053 3 38 #3 mr_bez, Dec 29, 2014 FYI This is a clone of the original browser game by Andrey Shevchuk, also available on the App Store: https://appsto.re/gb/CgHj2.i There are dozens of clones on the App Store. I was caught by another one a while back, but another forumite (I'm afraid I can't remember who) put me onto the real deal. cloudpuff Well-Known Member Sep 12, 2013 3,600 0 36 lazy layabout uk #4 cloudpuff, Dec 29, 2014 I've got one installed from a while ago, I enjoy it a lot, I wasn't aware of the original so will grab that now, there's a load of clones popping up so the genuine one slipped through, ty bezzy sugimulm Well-Known Member Aug 28, 2010 2,456 46 48 The last time zone for iOS game releases :( #5 sugimulm, Dec 29, 2014 Bought before the price drop, totally worth it! It will rattle your brain, lol. ColeDaddy Silver Supporter<br>Moderator Staff Member Patreon Silver Patreon Gold Patreon Bronze Mar 20, 2010 4,185 108 63 Male Sojourner Washington D.C. #6 ColeDaddy, Dec 29, 2014 Last edited: Dec 29, 2014 Yup. I'm stuck on 15 Habakuk Well-Known Member Dec 11, 2008 4,779 9 38 Vienna, Austria http://rossau.wordpress.com #7 Habakuk, Dec 29, 2014 Last edited: Dec 29, 2014 You're welcome, ColeDaddy! +1 Interesting news. Kudos for the original. Without the clone I'd probably never heard of it. And the best news is: There are other levels (30?) in the old/new game by Shevchuk, maybe even better ones. I've seen twelve or so and they seem to be a tiny bit more elaborated, clever—hard to tell. And there are some humorous remarks inside. But the game in the OP is "prettier" and with sound. This way the russian (?) copyright/clone war could go on for a while… y2kmp3 Well-Known Member Jun 25, 2010 1,784 3 38 #8 y2kmp3, Dec 30, 2014 Last edited: Dec 30, 2014 I am somewhat ambivalent about giving full credits to the developer (Volodymyr Klymenko) for this game, since it is obvious that the game is a "derivative" of the original Game about Squares by Andrey Shevchuk. In fact, the original version of this game from this same developer was a direct ripoff of Shevchuk's game. I recall Shevchuk even posted an official response on the Touch Arcade forum accusing the developer of frank plagiarism. Alas, that thread had since been removed by the moderator. However, withstanding the prior credibility issue, the levels in this revised version (v2.0) appear to be entirely original. If this turns out indeed to be the case, the developer rightfully deserves credit for creating an original work and has redeemed himself from his previous copying. I played through all 46 levels and have finished them. Aside from the "clone" issue itself, this is by far the BEST clone in the App Store to date. The developer has put in a lot of effort dressing up the game, streamlining the interface, improving the graphics, adding a tutorial, etc. Above all, I really LIKE the new puzzles. While the majority of them are quite a bit easier than those in the Shevchuk's game, there are also MANY CLEVER IDEAS that are entirely unique. The last few levels, Level 45-48, are truly very clever, in part because there is a certain elegance to the partial symmetry of the level design that is also reflected in the solution. If it was not for the transgression made by the developer in the original version of the game, I would say that the developer has succeeded in taking the Shevchuk's original idea to the next level. Klymenko is still active on this forum. May be he can shred some lights to the above incident in hindsight. http://forums.toucharcade.com/showthread.php?t=243458 Even now, the App Store is full of clones of Game about Squares, just like clones of Threes! Here, I think the developer deserves a lot of credits for at least creating new puzzles / levels for the game. ColeDaddy Silver Supporter<br>Moderator Staff Member Patreon Silver Patreon Gold Patreon Bronze Mar 20, 2010 4,185 108 63 Male Sojourner Washington D.C. #9 ColeDaddy, Dec 31, 2014 Last edited: Dec 31, 2014 y2kmp3, Thanks for your thoughtful post. I didn't know about the history of this game and how it is intertwined with the variant source material. However, I am glad that it appears the current dev has turned over a new leaf by creating a new game rather than merely producing a reskinned copy. It appears the only thing cloned is the overall concept...? However, without intending to derail the main thread too far off the mark, the topic of cloned games is an interesting one because many games nowadays tend to be derivative of a successful predecessor. In fact, this is formulaic in any industry where something captures the fancy of the general public, and many race to copy not just the subject matter, but its success. I have nothing against this entrepreneurial spirit, as long as it isn't a blatant rip-off. Now, back on-topic, this game is a lot of fun and it gets very challenging very quickly. I'm stuck on level 16. I do wish there were some type of hint system, say, where we accumulate "stars" that count as currency towards a number of hints. This will help us conserve and strategize rather than run rampant frivolously using up hints at every level. At the same time, players don't have to be stuck on a level for a day, or two, or three... pluto6 Well-Known Member Jun 21, 2009 5,837 2 38 Military #10 pluto6, Dec 31, 2014 Adding to the whole "clone" thing - I remember similar things happening with a puzzle game called Vexed (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/vexed-dlx-old-school-puzzler/id369589828?mt=8) if you are interested in looking at it. There were several "clones" that came about, and there still are - but the simple thing is they acknowledge the original developer. I guess if the "clone" is more successful than the original, the developer might want a piece of that pie, and there is the rub of it all. Anyways, I had previously played the original squares and found it quite entertaining and this version too is quite nice. Can't go wrong playing both. ColeDaddy Silver Supporter<br>Moderator Staff Member Patreon Silver Patreon Gold Patreon Bronze Mar 20, 2010 4,185 108 63 Male Sojourner Washington D.C. #11 ColeDaddy, Dec 31, 2014 Ahhh..."Vexed" is a blast from my past. I whiled away many hours on that one (I think it was available on the old Palm OS too?) It's funny, once I read about the source for Squares, I took at look at it and was demotivated to check it out, because the current version looked so much better. (I guess a little eye-candy goes a long way with me). Again, without any prior knowledge of its pedigree, Squares is fun to play while demanding some mental gymnastics and requiring players to be long on patience. y2kmp3 Well-Known Member Jun 25, 2010 1,784 3 38 #12 y2kmp3, Dec 31, 2014 Hi, ColeDaddy, Thank you for your kind compliment. I am a gamer and not a developer. Thus, I can only imagine the great challenge and pressure faced by a developer, especially when the success or failure of the game means whether or not there will be food on the table. As you have rightly pointed out, unless there is new evidence surfacing to prove otherwise, we should give the benefit of the doubt to the developer. I think merely having a similar core game concept should not be grounds to dismiss a game. Otherwise, the near endless variants of match-3 games currently in the App Store will all be doomed. As long as the game brings in fresh ideas and new gameplay, I agree that we should not be too harsh in judging the game's pedigree and counting it against the developer. pluto6 Well-Known Member Jun 21, 2009 5,837 2 38 Military #13 pluto6, Dec 31, 2014 I agree that Squares looks much nicer, but the original has that opening dialog that I found very humorous. I won't give it away for other people but the first 8 or 10 puzzles have some funny commentary between puzzles.. Anyways, both good puzzlers. And yes, Vexed was originally on Palm (I had it then too). Volodymyr Klymenko New Member Aug 9, 2014 2 0 0 #14 Volodymyr Klymenko, Feb 5, 2015 Last edited: Aug 31, 2016 ..... Habakuk Well-Known Member Dec 11, 2008 4,779 9 38 Vienna, Austria http://rossau.wordpress.com #15 Habakuk, Sep 6, 2015 Uhm FREE again. Was $0.99 before. (You must log in or sign up to post here.) Show Ignored Content Share This Page Tweet Your name or email address: Do you already have an account? 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Great find, Habakuk! The game aesthetic and gameplay are in my wheelhouse. To support the dev for such a creative piece I spent the buck. Good stuff, man.
FYI This is a clone of the original browser game by Andrey Shevchuk, also available on the App Store: https://appsto.re/gb/CgHj2.i There are dozens of clones on the App Store. I was caught by another one a while back, but another forumite (I'm afraid I can't remember who) put me onto the real deal.
I've got one installed from a while ago, I enjoy it a lot, I wasn't aware of the original so will grab that now, there's a load of clones popping up so the genuine one slipped through, ty bezzy
You're welcome, ColeDaddy! +1 Interesting news. Kudos for the original. Without the clone I'd probably never heard of it. And the best news is: There are other levels (30?) in the old/new game by Shevchuk, maybe even better ones. I've seen twelve or so and they seem to be a tiny bit more elaborated, clever—hard to tell. And there are some humorous remarks inside. But the game in the OP is "prettier" and with sound. This way the russian (?) copyright/clone war could go on for a while…
I am somewhat ambivalent about giving full credits to the developer (Volodymyr Klymenko) for this game, since it is obvious that the game is a "derivative" of the original Game about Squares by Andrey Shevchuk. In fact, the original version of this game from this same developer was a direct ripoff of Shevchuk's game. I recall Shevchuk even posted an official response on the Touch Arcade forum accusing the developer of frank plagiarism. Alas, that thread had since been removed by the moderator. However, withstanding the prior credibility issue, the levels in this revised version (v2.0) appear to be entirely original. If this turns out indeed to be the case, the developer rightfully deserves credit for creating an original work and has redeemed himself from his previous copying. I played through all 46 levels and have finished them. Aside from the "clone" issue itself, this is by far the BEST clone in the App Store to date. The developer has put in a lot of effort dressing up the game, streamlining the interface, improving the graphics, adding a tutorial, etc. Above all, I really LIKE the new puzzles. While the majority of them are quite a bit easier than those in the Shevchuk's game, there are also MANY CLEVER IDEAS that are entirely unique. The last few levels, Level 45-48, are truly very clever, in part because there is a certain elegance to the partial symmetry of the level design that is also reflected in the solution. If it was not for the transgression made by the developer in the original version of the game, I would say that the developer has succeeded in taking the Shevchuk's original idea to the next level. Klymenko is still active on this forum. May be he can shred some lights to the above incident in hindsight. http://forums.toucharcade.com/showthread.php?t=243458 Even now, the App Store is full of clones of Game about Squares, just like clones of Threes! Here, I think the developer deserves a lot of credits for at least creating new puzzles / levels for the game.
y2kmp3, Thanks for your thoughtful post. I didn't know about the history of this game and how it is intertwined with the variant source material. However, I am glad that it appears the current dev has turned over a new leaf by creating a new game rather than merely producing a reskinned copy. It appears the only thing cloned is the overall concept...? However, without intending to derail the main thread too far off the mark, the topic of cloned games is an interesting one because many games nowadays tend to be derivative of a successful predecessor. In fact, this is formulaic in any industry where something captures the fancy of the general public, and many race to copy not just the subject matter, but its success. I have nothing against this entrepreneurial spirit, as long as it isn't a blatant rip-off. Now, back on-topic, this game is a lot of fun and it gets very challenging very quickly. I'm stuck on level 16. I do wish there were some type of hint system, say, where we accumulate "stars" that count as currency towards a number of hints. This will help us conserve and strategize rather than run rampant frivolously using up hints at every level. At the same time, players don't have to be stuck on a level for a day, or two, or three...
Adding to the whole "clone" thing - I remember similar things happening with a puzzle game called Vexed (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/vexed-dlx-old-school-puzzler/id369589828?mt=8) if you are interested in looking at it. There were several "clones" that came about, and there still are - but the simple thing is they acknowledge the original developer. I guess if the "clone" is more successful than the original, the developer might want a piece of that pie, and there is the rub of it all. Anyways, I had previously played the original squares and found it quite entertaining and this version too is quite nice. Can't go wrong playing both.
Ahhh..."Vexed" is a blast from my past. I whiled away many hours on that one (I think it was available on the old Palm OS too?) It's funny, once I read about the source for Squares, I took at look at it and was demotivated to check it out, because the current version looked so much better. (I guess a little eye-candy goes a long way with me). Again, without any prior knowledge of its pedigree, Squares is fun to play while demanding some mental gymnastics and requiring players to be long on patience.
Hi, ColeDaddy, Thank you for your kind compliment. I am a gamer and not a developer. Thus, I can only imagine the great challenge and pressure faced by a developer, especially when the success or failure of the game means whether or not there will be food on the table. As you have rightly pointed out, unless there is new evidence surfacing to prove otherwise, we should give the benefit of the doubt to the developer. I think merely having a similar core game concept should not be grounds to dismiss a game. Otherwise, the near endless variants of match-3 games currently in the App Store will all be doomed. As long as the game brings in fresh ideas and new gameplay, I agree that we should not be too harsh in judging the game's pedigree and counting it against the developer.
I agree that Squares looks much nicer, but the original has that opening dialog that I found very humorous. I won't give it away for other people but the first 8 or 10 puzzles have some funny commentary between puzzles.. Anyways, both good puzzlers. And yes, Vexed was originally on Palm (I had it then too).