The new BlackBerry 10 operating system may have more of a business focus than other offerings on the market, but that by no means precludes it from being used as a fun distraction too. There are some great games out on the BlackBerry App World at the moment, and the latest offering – Super Hexagon by Terry Cavanagh – is a real corker! If you’re looking for a compelling time-sink to play on the way to a meeting, Super Hexagon’s trippy visuals and simple, yet addictive game play will have you hooked.
Presentation
Super Hexagon features a minimalistic graphics style, which complements the game’s frantic game play perfectly. The ‘hexagon’ layout of the title refers to the six-sided shapes that try to enclose the player with gradually changing colours. While some might say the visual style is fairly basic, this suits the fast pace of the game – if any other graphics were added the screen would become cluttered and the game play confusing. A pulsating rhythm lends a truly hypnotic, kaleidoscope-esque feel to the game. Don’t be surprised if you feel yourself going into something of a trance, when you’ve been ‘in the zone’ for a while!
The soundtrack is by a little-known 8-bit artist, Chipzel, and it is truly superb. Given that Chipzel creates her music on a Game Boy, it’s safe to say that she knows her stuff when it comes to videogame music – and this shines through. Melodic and gradually evolving, Chipzel’s music does a great job of lending a sense of urgency to the game, and meshes well with the visual style.
Game play
If you hadn’t already guessed, the game play of Super Hexagon is fast, addictive, and hard as nails. Essentially, the player (as represented by a triangle rotating around a central axis) is gradually enclosed by a series of hexagons, with one (usually small) opening as the only exit. The player must rotate the triangle to fit through this gap. Sounds simple, yes? That’s because it is. But as the game progresses, and the difficulty gradually increases, the maze of obstacles becomes much more intricate. The game requires constant focus and concentration, and is very, very addictive.
Replay-ability
Being an endless game that inevitably ends in your demise, there isn’t much ‘value’ in playing Super Hexagon. But as a game that you can dip in and out of, it’s addictive and you’ll come back to it again and again. Super Hexagon is definitely best played over a weekend, when you have time to spare!
Conclusion
Overall, Super Hexagon is an extremely fun (and at times frustrating) reaction-based game. With simple, elegant graphics and excellent music, too, this is one game that owners of a BlackBerry Q10 or Z10 shouldn’t miss out on.