Hyper Square Review

Hyper Square is a game that is at times absolutely brilliant. But while too many chefs don't necessarily spoil this broth, they give it a bitter aftertaste.

The goal of Hyper Square is to flick, fling, and twist squares in order to get them into the proper goal square that fits their shape and size. Each screen gives players just a couple of seconds in order to get everything into its proper receptacle. The game proceeds in phases, with additional experience earned for each phase completed and said experience used to unlock the next level. Later phases come with a score multiplier, and reaching MAX phase will give credit for beating the level. Each of the first four levels introduces its own mechanic: the last four start to mix in un-allowed goal squares that squares can't go in or else it's game over.

Thankfully, with the game being so rapid the controls do a great job at keeping up with how fast it is. It's possible to fling the squares quickly enough in order to get them where they need to go, but this does require a bit of faith in the magnet effect that goal squares have in order to correct for any imprecision will properly pull them in - so still try to be as accurate as possible.

When the game is just about flinging squares about as quickly as possible, Hyper Square is absolutely brilliant. It's so heavily reflex-based, and it requires just enough in the way of thought to add variety to it. When things really get going, it develops an intense feeling that few other games can successfully create. The player has to be one with the game to get high scores, frantically fighting for survival. It's amazing.

The game starts to suffer once twisting becomes a major part of it. What once was a game about frantic flicking and recognition of different sizes and angles, all within a simple mechanic, now throws in a two-finger mechanic that isn't necessarily easy to do while operating at the same frantic pace. The game certainly compensates for small inaccuracies, but the twisting is just too much. Once the un-allowed sections come into play, the game becomes too cerebral for its good.

Really, it's a shame. Hyper Square, when it's on, is absolutely sublime. And that the game's later half of levels offers a reminder of when the game's at its best is just painful. It isn't bad with the twisting sections, no. But it isn't as much fun. Overall, Hyper Square does enough great that it's worth checking out for those who are intrigued by it, but it's a game that just has too much going on.