Game Reviews

Edge

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Edge
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Walk into Harrod's and you find an array of stylish items from floral perfumes to expensive clothing that fit within the store's ultra chic vibe. FUBU hoodies aren't exactly on the racks.

It makes sense, therefore, that the clean lines, vibrant colours, and electronic tones of Edge find their way to the geek-chic App Store. Edge is a gorgeous reminder of the style and gravitas a well-designed game can bring to even the newest of platforms.

From an isometric perspective, you guide a cube around a maze of platforms and moving shapes. You do this using a finger to drag it along or alternately tilting the handset.

As you make your way to each level's exit, prisms must be picked up. Of course, the way is littered with traps for you to fall into, blockers that pursue you, and triggers for you to send off. It's platforming 101, but without the cute and cuddly characters.

With your route sliced by pitfalls and gaps in the track, a lot of your progress depends on you guiding your cube on and off fast-moving platforms. There are also buttons to press that trigger further movement, opening up other areas in the process, but these require an acute sense of timing to avoid falling into the abyss.

A fall from grace essentially changes nothing. There's no penalty for failing to overcome an obstacle, the game plonking you back down just steps from where you fell. In league with the best of puzzlers, Edge just makes you want to do the best you possibly can.

Each level you complete gets rated based upon the number of times you fail, the time you take and the number of prisms you manage to pick up along the way. Even if you're absolutely terrible, falling off the edge countless times or missing prism after prism, there's nothing to stop you moving on or going back and improving your performance.

That has a lot to do with the way the game's delivered. Edge comes packaged with some rather smart music, mixing everything from house to retro electronica (anyone who spent their youth playing Sonic or Mario will appreciate much of what tinkers away in the background). It oozes class and positively pulsates with style.

That would all be merely dressing if the game itself didn't hit the same heights, but luckily the package as whole is a consistent one. It's simple, addictive, inventive, and more than anything, a little bit scary.

With narrow passageways, falling ledges, and blocks charging after you every other moment, you never quite feel safe. There's always a feeling that the edge you're so finely balanced on could slip from beneath you, and this thrilling intimation is enough to keep you moving and hooked.

Edge

Edge is the kind of iPhone title where style and substance unite, creating a block-shifting puzzler that's as maze-y as it is amazing
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Keith Andrew
Keith Andrew
With a fine eye for detail, Keith Andrew is fuelled by strong coffee, Kylie Minogue and the shapely curve of a san serif font. He's also Pocket Gamer's resident football gaming expert and, thanks to his work on PG.biz, monitors the market share of all mobile OSes on a daily basis.