Orbsorb app review: simplicity in the form of a game

Introduction

Usually I would already start complaining about a game in the first sentence if it wasn’t made clear to me what to do at the start of the game. Luckily most games offer a tutorial of some sort, especially if they are games with hard to-pick-up game systems or controls. When playing Orbsorb for iPad and iPhone by developer Montgomery Guilhaus I started pondering about this phenomenon. Why do the best games in the world lack a decent tutorial? Think about Super Mario Bros. by Nintendo. This is one of the best games ever made, yet when you picked up the controller for the first time, you weren’t told what to do. You just pressed a button and saw the little man on the screen jump. This is exactly the same for Orbsorb.

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Simple Gameplay

The gameplay in Orbsorb is simple, addictive, and intuitive. The game starts and you see an orb on the screen. My first thought was: how does this work? I touched the screen and saw a circle appear under my finger. Move this around and a small orb around the big orb starts mirroring the movement of your thumb. Then other small orbs start moving towards your big orb. You need to stop them from reaching it by catching them with your small orb. This starts easy, but before you know it there will be hundreds of orbs flying at you from all directions!

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Simple But Effective Graphics and Sound

Simplicity is something that echoes throughout the design of this game. The graphics are very basic, but effective. Every object in the game is basically an orb. Every time your orb gets hit, a layer will be removed until there are none left. The sounds are similar. Don’t expect a orchestrated soundtrack, but simple futuristic beeps and boops do the trick. You can listen to the sounds of the game in the main menu too. Don’t think the game looks and sounds dull, as you can tell this is all a part of the bigger picture.

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Pros and Cons

Pros

• Simplicity in its most basic form
• Easy to pick up and play; no tutorial needed
• Challenging, but never too difficult
• Perfect for a short gaming moment

 

Cons

• Maybe a bit too basic?
• Extremely addictive!

 

Conclusion

The developer of this game must have thought that he would make the simplest game ever. In my opinion he succeeded. Orbsorb is so easy to play that the only thing that holds it back is its simplicity. More game modes can solve this problem, or challenges can add an extra little challenge and replay value to this near perfect game. If you have a short five minute break, or you are on the train or bus somewhere, simply whip out your iPhone or iPad and you can have a quick session. No game will last longer than a few minutes. But watch out: you might miss your stop!