207
people found this helpful, as of 2023
ranked #153,122 most helpful
out of 571,544,897 reviews
★★★★★
Interesting Twist, Great Developer Feedback - See Comments
[UPDATE #2: Added 5th star. The game now has instructions and a video instruction link to youtube. The game still has a few things I'd like to improve, but the developer has shown himself committed to making it the best he can, and has really given some great discussion and feedback. That alone says quite a bit to me, and with the addition of instructions and the video link, I feel comfortable recommending this game to others and rating it with five stars. :) ]
[UPDATE: The developer assured me the application pauses and makes way for phone calls. He also is looking at adding tutorial and/or instructions and other changes, so future customers might want to check to see if the issues I and other reviewers have posted have been addressed.]
The hexagonal field makes this an unusual twist on Minesweeper. There doesn't seem to be a maximum width or height, but there are minimums for width and height of 5 hexagons each. The density of mines is set using a percentage between 10% and 50%. I haven't played enough to get the hang of determining where the bombs are in relation to the numbers. It seems that there is more guess work, at least at the very beginning of the game with high mine densities. At low densities, large swaths of the field are cleared for you.
The top bar shows the number of bombs, the elapsed time, and touching it switches between "flag" mode and "Dig" modes, which remain until switched.
Since there is no tutorial or instruction, I recommend starting at a small width and height, and a small density. It is similar enough to classic Minesweeper that you can quickly pick up the strategy.
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PROS:
:: Instructions and Video Instructions.
:: *EXCELLENT* Developer Feedback and Communication! See the comments.
:: Auto Screen Rotation.
:: Very Speedy.
:: Thumb-Switcher option for either hand
:: Thumb-Switcher is 'normally open', meaning that if you are in "flag" mode (default) you must hold it down to activate "Dig" mode, and when released you automatically return to "flag" mode. The opposite is true if you are in "Dig" mode.
:: Tap Mine Count Number to clear surrounding cells.
:: Pinch-and-Zoom for the playing field (on very large maps, this isn't enough, but it does make navigation faster and easier overall).
:: Smooth panning - just touch and drag (aka, swipe).
:: Pleasant textures and graphics, and the nice color-coded numbers with white borders for easy identification.
:: Additional indicator to show Thumb Press.
:: Sound is NOT annoying.
:: Resume.
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CONS:
:: Network Permission: It is for automatically submitting your scores to an online leader board. I don't like leaderboards, but you can DISABLE it without any affect on the game itself. Also, it looks like a custom leaderboard and NOT a famously evil one. ;)
:: Easy to get lost on large maps - no quick navigation other than pinch-and-zoom.. Developer is working on this.
:: The slightest touch on a large tablet screen in dig mode can very easily set off a bomb, ending the game! Recommendation: stay on Flag mode, because tapping on the cell with the number of bombs next to it will reveal the clean fields (make sure you flag the mines FIRST, though).
::: A recommendation to the dev is to make a "dig zone" in the center, where only those inside the zone can be dug.
:: No "Maybe" flag. Developer is considering adding one.
:: No restarting/resetting the same game - this is a biggie for me as I like to work on maps until I get them.
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I'd also like to see other placements for the Thumb-Switcher, especially toward the top of the screen. On large devices, the extreme lower corner placement makes it very difficult and uncomfortable to press that area while holding the tablet. Also, the ability to play background music might be something to consider, especially if it can play user's song already on the device, such as a custom MP3.
SUMMARY:
If you are a big fan of Minesweeper, I think you'll really enjoy this one, especially with some fixes and tweaks.
NOTE: Reviewed on a Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1.
February 2013 · Unknown · verified purchase