ShapeShifter

By Astraware

 

When you stop to think for a moment about software companies that have made a huge impact on the PDA game market, one of the first names that comes to mind is Astraware.  For the past several years they have, often in collaboration with other developers, dominated the PDA game market with releases such as Bejeweled (and its sequel), Mazera, Fish Tycoon, and others. All of them have one thing in common – they are among the best puzzle or arcade games to be found on any PC or PDA.

 

The latest entry into this hall of fame is ShapeShifter, a uniquely fascinating and very addictive arcade game that, try as hard as I might, I can’t compare to anything I’ve ever played before.  The thing that it reminds me of most is the plastic balls made by Tupperware (It’s called a “Shape-O Toy” that are filled with yellow plastic pieces of different shapes and matching holes.  Toddlers (all right, some adults too…. LOL) play with it by trying to match the shapes with the holes until all the pieces are inside it again.  If you are in the habit of stealing these from your 6-month old baby, give it back to him and try this instead.

 

 

You see ShapeShifter, just as the name implies, is an ingenious arcade game that features a row of different shapes (the number of different shapes varies based on the difficulty of  the level you are playing)  that scrolls from right to left across the bottom of your screen.  Above it is a stack of five separate rows that are scrolling in alternate directions.  For example, every other row is moving from left to right and the others are moving from right to left.

 

If that isn’t enough to make your eyes cross, the speed of the movement and the shapes used increase with each level you complete – making the end result a frantic hunting expedition in an attempt to match mobbing pieces with moving holes.

 

 

The game features two different game modes.  The “Beat the Clock” mode is a timed mode wherein you attempt to fill all the holes before the clock runs out.  Each row explodes off the board when all the holes in it are filled with the appropriate pieces.  The goal of the “Shape Speedster” mode is to fill all the holes before the bars reach the top of the screen.  You begin with three rows that increase in number as well as speed until they reach the top of the screen.  At that point the game is over and a score is awarded.

 

To make the game more interesting, many of the pieces will reward you with special bonuses.  One of these is a “wildcard” piece that resembles a bottle of paint and can be placed in any slot.  Another one is a “Revealer” that causes all the slots of that shape to glow when you grab it – making it easier to spot where the currently selected piece can be placed.

 

As with many other games by Astraware, this game features the ability to compare your scores with others online and see where you rank among the experts.

 

The game is very addictive and I found myself playing it by default because my kids often borrowed my Zodiac and, when it was returned, I found that this game (of the myriad of other games I have installed) was the one that had captivated their attention.

 

The Palm version of ShapeShifter will run on any Palm PDA with a 320x320 screen and OS 5.0 or above and is a must have for anyone with fond memories of that red plastic “Shape-O Toy” from their childhood.