Shape Shifter Review

Shape Shifter got a little lost in the recent lot of puzzle games released by Astraware. Is this really a puzzle game you can forget? I do not think so. Shape Shifter does not join the elite group of the very best puzzle games but it is still one you should definitely check out.

Your task in this game is to fill shapes with forms you are given. There are several lines of those shapes and they disappear if you fill them completely. You always have 6 forms to choose from; if you take one, a new one will come in from the right. You can also get rid of a form you have no use for by shredding it.

There are two different game modes. In “Beat the Clock�, you have to clear all five lines on-screen until the time runs out. In “Shape Speedster�, you must clear the lines before more are appearing, because you lose if they grow higher than the screen. If you have accomplished this, you get one level up and closer to the global highscore.

There are lots of different shapes to add variety. With every new level, there are more shapes making it more difficult to fill everything in a short time. It gets especially difficult if shapes look similar. There are special shapes once in a while that if filled in, give you wildcards (that you can fill everything with) or give you more time, etc. From time to time, there is a bonus level where shapes move from the left to right and have to all be filled before they disappear from the screen, from which you get the bonus.

Shape Shifter has been designed to feel like a circus. It has been done really well. The music sounds great and the graphics are beautifully drawn. After each level, there is a typical circus character being displayed like the clown or the lion.

Shape Shifter is an addictive puzzle game of high quality, like it should be. The controls are fast and intuitive once you get used to them. Get the demo from Astraware’s website and see for yourself if you like it enough to put the money down for a full purchase.