This innocent-looking game turned out to be one of the most challenging and rewarding puzzle experienced I have yet encountered on Android. I began by trying the free version, which has limited turns of play unless you watch promotional videos or wait a bit of time. It was not long before I bought the full version and engaged a full-on Triple Town addiction.
The premise is rather simple - you place objects on a map, and three like objects combine to make a higher ranking object. This is where the game derives its name from - you build a little town by putting objects in triples.
What makes this formula work is the fact that there is no end to your tripling. Every game starts with small items, and at first play it may seem that it would get old. But what you learn upon continued play is the depth at which proper object placement requires. Each completion of three objects requires three objects of a higher tier. It is a bit difficult to explain with words, but basically creating the best structures required well-thought-out planning and keeping the exponential nature of building in mind.
To illustrate this, it is best to use an example. The most basic object is plots of grass. Three adjacent patches of grass result in a bush; three bushes make a tree; three trees make a hut; three huts make a house... and so on and so forth. By understanding this element of objects being tiered, to make a mansion requires three adjacent houses. By thinking about it backwards like this, you find that you need 243 plots of grass to build a mansion. And that's not the final object either. (I may not have calculated the correct number - which only goes to show the deceptively simple nature of the game.) When in the act of playing you must both plan well ahead as well as manage your item placement with regards to the present. Do not mistake this game for being overly mathematical however - the base unit of threes, combined with the spacial management of objects and placing them on a map makes it a very easy process. Once you get comfortable and begin to yearn for higher achievement, the game then makes you scratch your head and push your personal random access memory.
I have thus far failed to mention the element that makes each match feel new - the advent of bears. Occasionally, instead of placing a patch of grass or a bush or a tree, you will have to place a bear to tread around the empty space on the map. These bears move one space each turn, potentially coming in the way of where you wish to build. This makes you liable to alter your plans at any turn - as well as place objects in specific places to limit the areas where the bears may go. You can get rid of the bears - to an extent. When a group of three or more bears cannot move, they combine to create a church. Churches, like objects that you place, can combine to create a higher-scoring structure. With bears added into the mix, the game adds an element of improvisation to your otherwise straightforward planning.
There are a few other elements to the game - crystals that act as wild cards, robots that destroy an object, and water patches on one paid map. There is also a hold spot on each map - a place where you can switch the current object to be placed with what you have in store.
But how do you lose? The game finishes when there are no empty spots on the map. With bears roaming around and sprawling objects, the space on the map continually fluctuates. When you combine objects in great number, the space that three objects took up becomes only one spot - resulting in chains of combination that can suddenly wipe half of your spots clear. It is in moments like these that the game really shines, when something tremendous happens and you realize how you can improve your game.
All in all this game is fun, addicting, simple and yet challenging. I recommend the paid version, as you will not be limited to your playing, as well as gaining access to maps of various sizes, shapes, and challenges. By the way, I will let you learn about ninja-bears on your own.
My rating: 100/100
Photo from Google Play Store
http://spryfox.com/our-games/tripletown/
The premise is rather simple - you place objects on a map, and three like objects combine to make a higher ranking object. This is where the game derives its name from - you build a little town by putting objects in triples.
What makes this formula work is the fact that there is no end to your tripling. Every game starts with small items, and at first play it may seem that it would get old. But what you learn upon continued play is the depth at which proper object placement requires. Each completion of three objects requires three objects of a higher tier. It is a bit difficult to explain with words, but basically creating the best structures required well-thought-out planning and keeping the exponential nature of building in mind.
To illustrate this, it is best to use an example. The most basic object is plots of grass. Three adjacent patches of grass result in a bush; three bushes make a tree; three trees make a hut; three huts make a house... and so on and so forth. By understanding this element of objects being tiered, to make a mansion requires three adjacent houses. By thinking about it backwards like this, you find that you need 243 plots of grass to build a mansion. And that's not the final object either. (I may not have calculated the correct number - which only goes to show the deceptively simple nature of the game.) When in the act of playing you must both plan well ahead as well as manage your item placement with regards to the present. Do not mistake this game for being overly mathematical however - the base unit of threes, combined with the spacial management of objects and placing them on a map makes it a very easy process. Once you get comfortable and begin to yearn for higher achievement, the game then makes you scratch your head and push your personal random access memory.
I have thus far failed to mention the element that makes each match feel new - the advent of bears. Occasionally, instead of placing a patch of grass or a bush or a tree, you will have to place a bear to tread around the empty space on the map. These bears move one space each turn, potentially coming in the way of where you wish to build. This makes you liable to alter your plans at any turn - as well as place objects in specific places to limit the areas where the bears may go. You can get rid of the bears - to an extent. When a group of three or more bears cannot move, they combine to create a church. Churches, like objects that you place, can combine to create a higher-scoring structure. With bears added into the mix, the game adds an element of improvisation to your otherwise straightforward planning.
There are a few other elements to the game - crystals that act as wild cards, robots that destroy an object, and water patches on one paid map. There is also a hold spot on each map - a place where you can switch the current object to be placed with what you have in store.
But how do you lose? The game finishes when there are no empty spots on the map. With bears roaming around and sprawling objects, the space on the map continually fluctuates. When you combine objects in great number, the space that three objects took up becomes only one spot - resulting in chains of combination that can suddenly wipe half of your spots clear. It is in moments like these that the game really shines, when something tremendous happens and you realize how you can improve your game.
All in all this game is fun, addicting, simple and yet challenging. I recommend the paid version, as you will not be limited to your playing, as well as gaining access to maps of various sizes, shapes, and challenges. By the way, I will let you learn about ninja-bears on your own.
My rating: 100/100
http://spryfox.com/our-games/tripletown/