‘Strata’ for iOS, Android and Windows Phone 8 game review

There are games that are fun. There are games that look great. And then there are games that do both. Strata is one such game that has been lauded for both its design and gameplay when it first released on the Mac and recently it arrived on mobile as well. Let’s take a closer look at it.

Gameplay

Strata is a puzzle solving game that makes use of colored tiles and ribbons to weave a particular pattern. You have a grid of colored tiles and your objective is to overlay the tiles with matching colored ribbons. Every tile can have two ribbons placed on top of it. The first ribbon can be of any color but the second one has to be of the same color as the tile underneath. When you place all the ribbons over the grid while making sure they match the respective tile colors, you complete the level.

Strata starts off simple with a four tile grid and two color ribbons but soon you’ll be looking at large five by five grids with four color ribbons. If you work out the math, that is a lot of possibilities. But every grid has only one right answer and only with some trial and error will you find the right answer.

You can click on the empty boxes on the side to place a colored ribbon over that row or column. You can tap again to remove it. You will have to try out various combinations to see which is the correct one. Eventually, you get good enough at it that by looking at the grid you can place the ribbons correctly in the right order at first attempt.

You can do and undo the ribbons any number of times to complete the level but if you get everything right at first attempt, you get the ‘Perfect’ badge for that level. You can easily solve a level and play it again once you know the solution to get the ‘Perfect’ badge, or restart the level once you figure it out halfway through and then place everything correctly at first attempt.

If you get stuck, the game also has a hint system in place to nudge you in the right direction but then you won’t get the ‘Perfect’ badge if you complete it using hints.

Strata has dozens upon dozens of levels built-in. Also, there is absolutely no in-app purchase model, so you get everything in the $2.99 you pay for the app, making it great value.

Graphics and Sound

Visually, Strata is stunning. The game makes wonderful use of simple geometric shapes and soft pastel colors. Minimalism has been used wisely with a clean, uncluttered UI without being excessively bland. The game also has a unique, tilted UI design that is consistent across the entire game.

Sound-wise, the game impresses once again. Ever tap on an item is followed by a distinct piano note. The note lingers for a while after you tap and then fades away leaving complete silence behind until you tap again. It’s all very simple and effective.

Verdict

Strata is a really fun puzzle game that will appeal to almost everyone. It offers the right amount of challenge without being too easy or difficult and has tons of levels to spend hours on. Best of all, it looks and sounds splendid. There is nothing here really to complain about and I’d highly recommend everyone with an iOS, Android or Windows Phone 8 device to give this game a try.

Rating: 9/10
Pros: Challenging gameplay, plenty of levels, beautiful design
Cons: Nothing in particular

Download: iOS | Android | Windows Phone 8

Strata was reviewed on an iPad mini.