PILE app review: a great little puzzle game with ridiculous costs

Introduction

It seems that puzzle games are the best way to have people part with their money. Candy Crush Saga is the prime example for this but there are many other games that are blatantly designed to get people as addicted as possible and then simply drain them of their money as the difficulty gets ramped up unfairly. This now feels as the oldest trick in the book, yet some developers still try and make money this way. One of these developers is 1Button SARL. They developed PILE, a fantastic little puzzle game that reminds me of Tetris and Columns, two of the most popular puzzle games of all times, in one. The sad thing is that this game, developed for both iPad and iPhone, is out for your money.

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Gameplay

Before I will explain you how this game is trying to get you to pay, I will explain the gameplay of the game. It is super addicting and it is as simple as it can be: the game works with timed turns. Each turn, you will receive 4 different colored pairs of blocks. You need to place these blocks together, trying to create three in a row, horizontally or vertically. At the end of each turn, these pairs of three blocks disappear, scoring you points and making all the other blocks drop down. When these blocks fall down, they can make different lines of three, resulting in massive combos. After this, a next turn starts.

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In-App Purchases

This game is basically made for in-app purchases. There are a ton of different power ups, yet there are also a ton of negative power-ups. You will need to use both of these to be able to beat your high scores. Even though the game is an absolute blast to play, I do think that the developer overdid it a little when it comes to these in-app purchases. They made the collection of coins so hard, and the unlock prices so high, that you will need to buy extra coins to make the most of this game. The ultimate prize with coins is the Special game mode, which will set you back about $25.

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Pros and Cons

Pros

• A great puzzle game
• Hugely addictive
• Easy to learn, hard to master

 

Cons

• Ridiculous in-app purchases

 

Conclusion

I absolutely love this game. The game looks great, is easy to play, offers a lot of depth, and is an absolute blast. The only bad thing I can say about this app is the fact that the developer crammed the game full of in-app purchases. You will notice that when you get further in the game, you won’t be able to win without the power-ups that will cost you money. The app is compatible with both iPad and iPhone and is just under 12 MB.