App Army Assemble: Scalak - A puzzler everyone can enjoy?

Created from the mind behind PUSH and Zenge, it's hard not to have high hopes for Scalak.

This puzzler offers up striking visuals and lets you explore challenges on your own. There aren't any timers or move limits, so you can take your sweet time chilling out with this one.

In its review we thought it was pretty great, awarding it a Gold Award. "This is the sort of game that almost everyone is going to enjoy. It's smart in all the right ways, and it never shows off when it doesn't need to. It welcomes you in, and gives you a comfortable place to sit."

But, what about our App Army? Will they love it or hate it? Let's find out.

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After playing and enjoying a couple of levels, the level progression is smooth so far and it gradually introduces you to new mechanics. Its music is calming and the creaking sounds as you turn the boxes are so satisfying. The gameplay is relaxing while keeping you engaged by the clever puzzles.

I have not yet encountered "impossible" levels and all levels seem to be pretty easy so far. Really really liking this game. Oh, and things get really interesting starting at level 14.

When I first played hook I felt that I would never see such a game in future, but the same developer came again with new a concept and the same elegance. Scalak is a game which doesn't focus on time limit or number of moves, but instead lets the player figure out for themselves what they should do.

You play it for 15 mins and I'm sure you're going to play it for another 15 mins and more. The shapes, the elements, the graphics, and the sound are all as unique as the game and, believe me, Scalak is something that everyone will love.

There are no rules, but you need to have your brain switched on and senses open to figure out which shape will go into another. The moment you realise that you have mastered it, you'll find new mechanics/elements and that's something which I loved about the game.

If you got some free time just invest on this game and see yourself smiling.

I finished a few dozen levels, and it's hard to count the number without returning to the level selection menu. The discovery of the rules is both intuitive and well guided, and it's fun to play almost immediately from the beginning. The transition between levels is fast and natural, and, without a reason to stop playing, the desire to go onto the next one is strong.

However, you're not lost if you have to leave the game and come back later, and the game is also perfect for short moments in transport for example. Scalak is very addictive and changes constantly - it adds new mechanics and complicates them in perfect continuity and variety.

The music is relaxing, the colors are simple and pleasant, the controls perfectly precise, and I recommend it completely. I'm returning to play it immediately.

I was initially annoyed by this game. It seemed too simple to really take seriously, but I persisted. By the time I'd gotten to level 16 I found myself having to think a little, and was turning shapes around in my head before turning them around on the screen. It was then I decided that I love this game.

It makes you think without being so difficult that it frustrates and is just different enough to set it apart. No annoying limits on moves, no brain-crushing, ear-bleeding hard levels, sharp graphics, easy and intuitive controls, and relaxing music. It all adds up to a win. Zen and the art of spatial acuity.

Scalak is an interesting game. The mechanics are simplified, just moving a central shape with bits cut out or missing so that you can slide a number of other pieces into it to basically complete the shape. There are no instructions as to how to play and you don't need them. Updated concepts are presented in a way that you just know what's expected of you.

Other than the level menu, there are no on-screen indicators or text as there is no scoring or time limits. Even though it's minimalist, it's beautifully presented and has a good use of colour and shapes. The puzzles are not too taxing, I completed nearly all the levels bar about 10 in a couple of hours in a single sitting, but I love puzzle games.

The game does everything right, but there is just something missing I can't put my finger on and it's that which makes me say it's a good, not great, game. I would recommend it for the sheer look and feel of it and the relaxed feeling it gives you when you play it.

Scalak's closest relative on my device is the addictive Klocki. The gameplay starts off really simple - a central shape with cut-outs from one or more faces hanging in a particular perspective. The aim is to adjust the central block to align with these cut-outs and then drag them in.

As the levels progress, puzzles have more layers, the shapes grow more complex and interlock with one another, and various tweaks to puzzle mechanics begin to emerge. The game gives you plenty of freedom in how you approach solutions, especially in larger and more complex puzzles, but there is only one final configuration to solve. This opens up a methodical 'trial and error' dynamic which reminds me of the excellent Yankai's Triangle.

If you enjoy spatial puzzle games, 3D wooden puzzles, or even jigsaw puzzles, you'll find something to love in Scalak. At a $1.99 price tag it's great value.

There is no way a game made by the developer with 'Hamster on Coke' moniker would lack an addictive substance and Scalak does not disappoint in this sense.

As of writing this, I solved more than two-thirds of the available puzzles and so far have not been bored at all. As you make progress, the game aptly throws at you conundrums of a different variety and thus it never feels repetitive for me unlike another similar puzzlers out there.

This is far from being a masterpiece title that, by all means, ought to be present in your mobile collection, but it is absolutely worth your time, money, and attention if you, like me, derive pleasure from putting your little grey cells to work.

Recommended for all those mobile gamers, who could not get enough of HOOK, Klocki, Push, Zenge, and alike.

I found this to be a very capable little puzzler with a nice clean look. It's not going to set the world on fire, but it's easy to pick up and play in a spare five minutes and the puzzles, whilst they build in difficulty, are nothing to cause you to lose any hair over.

I am certainly going to keep coming back to this one for while. No timers or three-star challenges here, so just sit back, pour a G&T, and enjoy.

This game is a really great puzzler. Filling in, twisting, turning, and matching shapes keeps you busy and, at times, scratching your head. The graphics are colourful and the music is very soothing. The gameplay is ingenious because just as you master one type of puzzle, a completely different type is thrown into the mix, giving a constant change to the challenge.

I'm about three-quarters of the way through the game and it's definitely one that I'm not looking forward to finishing. A must for any puzzle fan.

I don't usually download puzzlers for the simple reason that I like to relax as much as possible when playing games. When I started out with Scalak I wasn't sure how far I'd be able to make it before giving up and tossing it aside. Much to my surprise I wound up finishing the game in a day and a half, enjoying every minute of it.

The game is very intuitive, guiding you along by example rather than text-based instructions. The soundtrack goes very well with the gameplay style - calming and enjoyable to listen to for hours at a time. The satisfaction you feel after completing a multi-level puzzle is delightful and the variety in difficulty as well as style kept me playing until late in the night.

Its controls were easy to master and the simplicity of the menus made it so that you wasted no time getting back to puzzle-solving. Scalak restored my love for puzzlers and I would say definitely give this one a download whether or not it's your type of genre.

This is a pretty interesting puzzler that actually does something that I haven't really seen in a lot of puzzlers.

The way you need to align the pieces together is a nice change from what you usually see and makes things a bit more unique.

I'm not a big fan of these types of games, but it was different enough to hold my attention for some time

Having played many puzzlers, this feels very different to a lot out there. Rotating shapes, pulling them apart, and combining them to fit in different ways does require some thought. I wouldn't call it particularly challenging as once you've completed a few rounds a lot of the shapes are repeated, but in slightly different ways.

This, for me, makes it a fairly relaxing puzzle game. I would recommend this for any casual gamers looking for something different, but not for someone looking for a challenging, in-depth game.

The App Army is Pocket Gamer's very own community of mobile game experts. Each week, we provide them with a bunch of free codes and early access to the hottest upcoming games so they can provide their thoughts in features like this.