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The App Army Assembles: Dreii - Still Drei, but better.

Did they App'rove?

The App Army Assembles: Dreii - Still Drei, but better.
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Each week, we ask members of our App Army for their impressions of the latest releases on mobile.

This week we're looking at Dreii - the spiritual successor to 2013 puzzler Drei - which is now available on iOS and Android, and offers cross-platform play between both formats.

Clint Yarwood

I'm not entirely sure what i'm supposed to be doing. There's not much hand-holding to gently ease you into the game. It seems Dreii doesn’t want to give much away.

Sjoerd de Jong

That works for me! I've played a couple of levels, but I can't see much of a difference from Drei. In fact, all the starting levels appear to be the same.

Olivier Boesch

Yeah, this seems to just be one big update of the original, so I think it's normal that the levels are the same.

Sjoerd

The level-select screen is cool, though. Not seen anything like it before

James Richard Brown

I agree with Sjoerd, the level-select screen is really nice. Also, I've noticed that some of the shapes give you a hint on how to pull them.

Clint

Still not entirely sure what I'm supposed to be doing. To be honest, as the game doesn't look that slick and it's not willing to help me play, I would have given up and deleted if I wasn't reporting back for the App Army.

Sjoerd

I don't agree, Clint. The first couple of levels are quite easy and you're learning more as you play. Adding a tutorial would take away some of the magic of discovering things for yourself.

James

I didn't play Drei, but I can see why the starting levels would be the same. Usually to get new players up to speed. Which does help.

Clint

Ok, I've spent a bit more time with it and now I'm starting to understand what I'm supposed to be doing. Move the squares about, making them change colour, right? I'm still not entirely sure. I guess time will tell.

Alyce Kat

I've been playing this for a few days now, and I find it absolutely adorable. I love the little character you control - Is he a balloon? Or a clown? Or both?

I don't really know. Either way, the sounds that he makes when you move him around are really cute.

Sjoerd

Looks like we all have different characters. That's really neat!

Alyce

The game seems pretty simplistic. Put one shape on top of the other and keep going. The obstacles get introduced once you finish the first 'boss fight'.

Perhaps before if you count the circles as obstacles. Either way, I love this game and find it quite addictive.

Clint

Ah, I've actually been playing with the volume down! The sounds are quite cute and simple. Fits the minimalist theme of the game nicely.

Sjoerd

I'm at the last level now, but I can't seem to complete it. One time I launched the game and a companion appeared. Is this actually someone else playing the game? Are you supposed to help each other?

Conor Smenner

I'm confused. Are the other characters actually other players or NPCs?

Olivier

That's actually someone else! When you play with others, your character's individual sounds combine to make strange, communication-focused music.

Sjoerd

I've just noticed that your character also learns how to speak, but I have no idea what to do with that yet.

Olivier

It's to potentially discuss solutions with others and get their support. I like puzzle games and most of the levels are not very complicated here.

But as soon as you're connected to other players, the real potential of Dreii is revealed. Some players will help you. Some will just look at you. Some players just want to talk.

So each experience will be completely different and that's what I love the most about the game.

Conor

I wasn’t really sure about Dreii to begin with. I didn't really understand what I was supposed to be doing.

But after playing for a little while, I realised that I actually really enjoy this game. It's really simple once you understand what's going on and very easy to play, though the levels can be quite challenging.

The ability to have other characters help you complete levels is a great idea

Sjoerd

Agreed Conor, I really like this game. The puzzles do start off quite simply, but after a while you'll find yourself scratching your head, desperately trying to figure out your next move.

The game also has a lot of variety with different types of blocks, wind blowing away your blocks, and artificial gravity. It's a great game for kids since the controls are simple and the characters are really cute.

Conor

In short, this is a fantastic puzzler and anyone who considers themselves a fan of the genre should definitely download it.

The App Army have spoken! If you'd like to sign up, please have a gander at our App Army application article. Have you tried Dreii yet? Did it make sense to you? Talk to us in the comments.
Ray Willmott
Ray Willmott
When not objecting to witnesses in Phoenix Wright or gushing over Monkey Island, Ray does social things for Steel Media. He also pretends to look like Han Solo in his profile picture.