Biolith | Game Review
****
Cardiff based Blind Sky Studios recently released Biolith, a simple yet intelligent strategy game available for iOS and Android. The mobile game makes you responsible for navigating a cicada around a board, as you must help prevent it from getting crushed by the stone enemies in pursuit. While you’re allowed to move at any stage in the game, enemies are limited to moving one space every time the timer reaches zero. Underestimate them at your own peril however, as they will soon come sneaking up behind you.
The aim of the game is to destroy all of the enemies on the board. This is accomplished by the help of two guardians. The guardians’ orbs in the top corners of your screen will signal which enemies you’re able to kill. When the orbs’ colour matches an enemy, you’re able to destroy them by tapping. If the colours do not match however, then your attack will be harmless. Reaction speed is therefore vital for success, but you must be tactical too if you’re to complete the round without being crushed. Aimlessly destroying enemies will most likely see you fail, as you must clear a space in the board for you to escape to when surrounded.
There are 50 waves of enemies in total, with the difficulty increasing after each round. Enemies become faster and more intelligent, as they begin to apply tactics in a bid to trap you rather than brainlessly follow you. While the first few rounds feel slightly easy, the game has a great difficulty curve so you’re always entertained and challenged. Upon losing all of your lives, you will be be sent back to wave one. While this is initially frustrating, the inclusion of upgrades and unlockable abilities make progression easier, enabling you to speed your way through waves that you previously struggled on.
The unlockable abilities do a great job of freshening up the game and maintaining your interest. They do however have a cool-down period, which means that you’ll have to choose your moments carefully when deciding to use your abilities. Tutorials do well at explaining the rules of the game and introducing abilites, while also being short enough to avoid becoming an annoyance.
The visuals, sound effects and music all combine to make a aesthetically pleasing game. After every 10 waves, the music and the board’s appearance change, and while subtle, they keep the game from becoming stale. The cicada that you play as is designed in the style of origami, which contributes to the game’s tone which represents the Eastern culture. There also a couple of cut-scenes added in after every 10 waves, which contain interesting imagery and Haikus. While these features don’t add to the gameplay, they make Biolith a unique and memorable experience.
One criticism regarding the visual features relates to the fade-in transition. With colour being such an important element of the game, it’s frustrating that the fade-in makes it difficult to beat the clock and have a quick start, especially when there’s so many dark colours on the board. Your abilities can sometimes be unresponsive too, which can cost your dearly with time continuously ticking away.
Overall, Biolith is a challenging, but rewarding game. With addictive gameplay, an expansive upgrade system and an expert mode for once you’ve completed the 50 waves, the price of £1.49 gives you a lot of content. Unlike the majority of mobile games, Biolith boasts originality and is a worthy addition to your mobile’s game collection.
words RYAN JONES