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Editor's Review
Few of the puzzle games littered in the app store offer the ideal mix of minimalist elegance and deep mental absorption quite like Dot Link. This is what you get when you take a simple idea – in this case, connecting numbered dots to complete a picture – and iterate it, shaping it into something streamlined, polished and impossibly compulsive. It is a game that understands the deliciousness of being the one who takes control and makes order out of chaos, one line at a time.
But the premise is instantly identifiable at its core. There’s a grid of dots, and within each dot is a number. Can you connect them all with lines in a single, continuous path, without any lines crossing or any lines left without connections? Dot Link takes that formula and refines it till it shines. Interface is very polished and provides subliminal experience, while puzzle takes back seat. The dots click into place, the lines you draw slickly slide across the screen, and the game delivers just the right amount of gentle haptic feedback, so that connecting up dots somehow feels pleasingly grounded and real.
The real genius of Dot Link is its superbly crafted advancement system. Then the game eases you into gentle puzzles that teach you what is happening in the game’s language. But in short order things get tougher, with bigger grids and more complex number patterns slapping you about the face and neck. You aren't merely sketching; you are deducing, plotting and thinking ahead. Each puzzle is like a self-contained logical game. You'll need to interpret some numbers: These count how many edges each dot must have. A “4” is a focal intersection, a “1” is an end point and a “2” is straight line passing through the intersection. Trying to plan your way can be an interesting little logical dance as one mistake will send you into a dead end. And this creates and sharpens a focused mind.
It is at the moment of completion that Dot Link gives its best payoff. When you add the last line, the apparently abstract connections will become an obvious figure—animal, musical instrument, vehicle, or astronomical object. This “aha!” moment is immensely gratifying. The game rewards you by having a slick animation play to celebrate your triumph and the finished shape often becomes a collectible item in your gallery – a great sense of accomplishment and visual diary of all the puzzles you have solved.
More than clever puzzles, it offers a quiet, almost meditative mood. With its soft color palettes and minimal aesthetic without frantic timers or punishing penalties, it serves as the perfect escape. It is a game to unwind to so it is great to play on your way to work, to reflect with over your morning coffee, to settle a busy mind. It demonstrates that a game doesn’t require flashy graphics or breakneck action to be fully absorbing; it merely requires the faultless execution of a brilliant idea.
It has been, essentially, a manifestation of the elegant simplicity and the joy of intellectual achievement. With its skillful design, elegant and intelligent gameplay, and pleasantly soothing atmosphere, it will delight your mind while relaxing your soul.
By Jerry | Copyright © JoyGamerss - All Rights Reserved
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