It may look like your typical free-to-play match-three mobile puzzler, but Dots & Co. has a few gameplay elements that separate it from the rest of the bunch.  Clear out same-colored adjacent dots by connecting them to one another on the touch screen, and they’ll disappear.  There’s actually been two “Dots” games before this one, but I’ve never played them so I don’t know what’s new or added to this one.  It’s available free to download on iOS and Google Play, but reviewed on iPad here.

You can connect same-colored dots on the playfield if they are next to each other vertically or horizontally (not diagonally).  If you can make a square, you’ll clear out all the same-colored dots on the field!  In some stages you must clear certain colored dots to pass, others you must clear dots covered in ice or snow, or fill the playfield with water by clearing dots.  Soon after starting the game, you’ll get a companion like a penguin or Eskimo.  These guys have special powers that can help you as you play.  By clearing triangle shaped dots, you’ll fill the companions meter.  When it’s full, they’ll use a special power that can help you out, such as clearing dots of one color or making certain dots do various things when you match them.  If you are stuck on a level, you can use currency to boost your companions so their meters will fill faster.  You can also use currency to continue if you run out of moves, or buy power-ups.

I really like the different approach to the typical color matching puzzle games that frequent mobile devices.  And the music is nice and soothing, too.  There is also a neat ‘color-blind’ feature that you can toggle off and on, in case the dot colors look too similar.  As a free-to-play game, you must spend ‘energy’ to play a level, but it doesn’t take long to refill and you’ll get some back when you finish levels for the first time.  But the problem I had with the game is that at one point, it just gets too hard to pass unless you spend money for more currency so you can buy power-ups.  And that happens on around stage 30 or so, which is pretty quick.  It’s a shame, too, because it bogs down what is initially a pretty fun little puzzler.

Kid Factor:

Nothing violent or objectionable here.  Reading skill is helpful for some of the instructions, and parental supervision is recommended for the in-game purchases.

Tags: Game Reviews