Epta is a Deceptively Simple but Addictive Game
by Toni McQuilken
Oct 20, 2011 4:08 PM –
Install
Epta is a logic game. This game improves your logic, abstract thinking, risks assessment and forecasting different situations. The goal is removing of colored squares by combining them in the one-colored group with 4 or more squares.
Price: Free
Tested on: Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1
Content Rating: Everyone
Pros & Cons:
Pros
- Incredibly easy to learn gameplay.
- Smooth simple graphics.
- Personal high score list.
- Challenging puzzles that keep you coming back.
Cons
- No “how to play” feature.
Features:
When I first installed Epta, I found myself staring at a screen with a few brightly colored squares – and nothing else. After looking for and not finding any kind of instructions on what I was supposed to be doing, I just tried touching the squares, and quickly found that it is one of those types of games where you can move each square – or groups of two – left, right, up or down, and they keep going until they hit the edge of the board or another tile. Okay, now that I knew how the gameplay worked, I started doing the most logical thing I could think of – I started trying to group colors. Well, I quickly found that each move caused more blocks of various colors to appear, complicating matters a bit. And, after a bit more play, I found that matching four or more of the same color will not only make those squares disappear, it will also hold off putting more squares in play for that turn.
Sounds simple, right? Well, I played on the beginner level – one of three I was offered when I selected New Game from the menu – and I found myself increasingly challenged to try to and figure out how to make matches. It’s simple once you realize what the goal is and how to play, but trust me when I tell you it’s actually a pretty good work-out for your brain. The developer should consider offering instructions and a choice for game difficulty level early on versus discovery; maybe this was intended to add to the complexity of it.
Watch on Mobile
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Epta Game Board Start
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Epta Game Board
Fun Factor:
I would say this game is more of a logic exercise than a fun game, since it is repetitive – you’re just moving colored squares around making color matches – but for anyone looking for a bit of a brain teaser to play around with, this is a solid example and will easily keep you busy for a while.
Addictive:
I was a bit surprised to find myself going back a few times to try to beat my score. And when I found the board getting almost too full to play on, I took it as a personal challenge to try and make some emergency matches to free up some space. So despite its simplicity, or perhaps because of it, I found this game to be mildly addictive. So don’t expect to find your typical addictive ingredients found in most games these days such as; global leader boards, fancy 3D, multi-player or social achievement systems.
Graphics:
Graphics aren’t really a factor here. It’s literally a black board with brightly colored squares that you move around. There is no texturing, no fancy pictures, nothing but squares moving around on a board. However, that lack of distraction lets you focus on the gameplay, so it does get the job done.
Accelerometer, Vibration & Sound:
I actually didn’t find any of these three in the game – there’s no music, no vibration, and no accelerometer features. Again, this is an incredibly simple game that does one thing, and doesn’t try to add any frills at all.