SPB Quads review – Simple but addictive game for Windows Phones

Late September 2009 -so only a few weeks ago- SPB software has announced SPB Quads, a new game for Windows Phones, to expand its existing broad portfolio of games.

I must admit I’m not really a hardcore gamer on my Windows Phone, but in this article I will do my best and have a detailed look at the unique features and gameplay of SPB Quads. In the press release and on the SPB Quads product page you can read the following summary about the game: 

“Based on SPB Quadronica, SPB Quads is an arcade game for touchsceens. The player’s goal is to reveal and mark rectangles’ corners of the same colors in a field filled with color bricks. The two modes in the game (time-limited and endless) effectively create two different scenarios of playing.”

The basic SPB Quads gameplay reviewed

The left screenshot above as well as the product description clearly show that there are two modes of gameplay: (1) Time Quad, where you compete againts the clock, and (2) Ever Quad, which is the strategic mode you can play until you can’t make any more Quads.

The basic thought is to make as large rectangles as possible with corners from the same color, and by clicking on the corners everything in the covered area will be deleted. The larger this area the more points you get, actually a simple concept but certainly additictive.

Let me illiustrate the concept with a small example (approached mathematically). The coordinate (0,0) is in the left bottom corner, with positive x-axis to the right and positive y-axis in the upward direction. The following rectangular with green corners can be defined with the following coordinate pairs: (2,3) (2,9) (8,3) (8,9) and covers an area of 7×7 = 49 blocks.

Within the covered sample area you see the atomic sign, which is a block that triggers a bonus (if it is within the marked area). All the different bonus types, their explanation and screenshots are shown later in this review.

In addition to the basic gameplay I would like to address some usability. You can see in the first screenshot that all main program options are easy accessible via large touch-friendly buttons, while also the “blocks” are easy touchable with your fingers. So SPB Software also thought well about this optimization.

Bonusses overview in SPB Quads

One of the interesting “twists” that SPB Software has build into this arcade game is the use of special bonusses. In the excellent helpfile, which is included with the SPB Quads game you can read the different types of bonusses, five in total, and the impact each one has on the game(play).

While the screenshots show each type of bonus within SPB Quads, I must compliment SPB Software for including both a graphical representation as well as a logical description of each bonus. And remark that we are talking about a helpfile here, so thumbs up !

SPB Quads – an online competition

The section above shows that SPB Quads, although it might look simple in concept, has an attractive gameplay and the bonusses make it a little diverse and exciting unpredicatable. At some point in time the game is over, because the time is up or you can’t make anymore Quads. The cool feature that SPB Software has included is uploading / publishing your High Score to the SPB server and look at- and compare your rank with fellow SPB Quads players from all over the world. The screenshots below illiustrate this feature.

Open discussion and wrap-up

The sections above have pretty well covered the basic thoughts and concepts of SPB Quads, and like I outlined in the introduction I’m not a hardcore gamer on my Windows Phone. Therefore I would like to include some interesting points about SPB Quads in an open discussion setting.

At first Michael Anderson, Editor on GearDiary.com, raises an interesting point in his article: “Review: SPB Quads for Windows Mobile” on the value and pricing for mobile applications (in general): 

“My main question is about the value: a few years ago I wouldn’t have blinked about spending $10 for this game. However, since the introduction of the iTunes App Store, $10 has suddenly become a lot of money for a simple puzzle game like this.”

Personally I think this is an excellent point, which is not only applicable for games, but for mobile applications in general. On the other hand if you compare it to software for notebooks and desktops, mobile applications are still relatively cheap. However in the modern internet-world where everyone is educated to get things for free, it might be interesting to investigate new business-, service-, and revenu models in mobile application development.

Furthermore Brian Houghton, Editor on Just Another Mobile Monday,  noticed another important point in his article: “Review: SPB Quads for Windows Mobile Professional” on the storage use:

“Installation of SPB Quads reveals that the program does consume quite a bit of storage memory, weighing in at near 12 MB.  For this reason, I recommend installing on the storage card of your device unless you have a phone with lot’s of memory to spare.” 

Although SPB Quads has some exceptional graphics, animations and design the footprint is pretty large for “just” a game. Personally I have no problem offering this ammount of storage to a more important core application, for example SPB Mobile Shell 3.5 or Pocket Informant 9.  

Concluding wrap-up

Despite I’m not a mobile gamer, SPB Quads is a game that suddely becomes very addictive because it is easy in concept and it offers an interesting and funny twist with the included bonusses and online sharing of you high scores. Furthermore with this game you also train your mental skills, like pattern recognition and visual skills in general, and therefore it’s an excellent addition to the SPB Brain Revolution Games. If you like games like Tetris and Bejeweled than simply head over to the SPB Software website and download a trial version or purchase the full version of the SPB Quads game.

Finally the excellent reviews of Michael Anderson (GearDiary) and Brian Houghton (JAMM) are highly recommended to broaden your view on this cool game !!