At a glance, Puzzlepops might be quick to dismiss. It seems much too sweet and charming to be a tricky and challenging puzzle game. But while it may be all familiar concepts and puzzle design, Puzzlepops delivers a bevy of satisfyingly difficult and clever brain-teasers.
Along a structure of nodes and path, you need to maneuver candy pieces into the properly colored and sized spots. That last part - size - is crucial, as like candies can combine into larger chunks. On these increasingly claustrophobic grids, where space is a premium and there are different candy types clogging up paths, figuring how and where candies need to be so they can meld never ceases to a challenging aspect of Puzzlepops’ puzzles.
And that’s before all the other mechanics are introduced. Chocolate blocks that move in sync when you shake your device. Heavy jawbreakers that can crush other candies. Heart candies that attract other hearts on intersecting paths. Each of these mechanics force you to consider those tight pathways and the placement of candy pieces more carefully, thinking moves ahead for how to block certain pieces or create openings that don’t leave you in an unsolvable situation. Thankfully a generous undo feature lets you experiment without punishment.
Puzzlepops is available for $1.99 on App Store and Google Play..