iPhone App Review – Call of Atlantis
Trippy
I’m one of those people who isn’t very easy to please when it comes to playing games on the iPhone. Sure, I love Angry Birds and Words With Friends (who doesn’t?!) but otherwise it takes a lot for me to actually download a game from the App Store and enjoy it.
Most games I come across have zombies or some other boring crap that just makes me wonder why people love that stuff so much. I did love Nazi Zombies in Call of Duty: World at War, but that’s about it when it comes to that sort of thing. That’s not to say that there aren’t decent games on the iPhone or that the ones I just mentioned are bad, I just don’t care for them most of the time.
One of the games I’ve been wanting for a long time is a decent Jewel Quest type game. Sure I have Bejeweled and there are plenty of match three games out there, but none as good as Jewel Quest. And to make something clear, I know there’s a Jewel Quest game on the iPhone but it’s just not the same. There’s something about it that just bugs me.
So it’s a catch 22 for me. I want my cake and I wanna eat it. Just look at my fat pants. But then I was searching through Pandora Box (another app I’ve had since I got my first iPhone, and I love it!) I found a free app called Call of Atlantis that is a match three game. I was skeptical, but decided to give it a go.
Yup. That's me.
I was first taken by surprise by the beautiful look of the game. Usually free games have a cheesy Windows 95 kind of look to them; but not this one! The graphics are stunning and the sound matches right along. There are brief “cut scenes” which have a real voice over; a very nice touch. And another feature is to follow along the path of a symbol with your finger. It makes you feel like you’re actually doing something and involved with the game rather than simply a spectator to it.
Once you get past those parts it time for the match three game. The pieces look amazing on my iPhone 4 and the music/sound fx are just about perfect. While the music is very well done it does tend to get repetitive, and after a while it annoys me because I can’t help but hum along.
Not yo mamma's match three game. Ok, so it is.
Unlike Bejeweled and Jewel Quest the object of Call of Atlantis is to get pieces of an artifact off the grid within a certain amount of time, which varies with each puzzle. Along with the artifacts are helpful “weapons” (my word, not the game’s) that do a variety of things. A bomb, for instance, rids a small area of the grid for you, while a lightening bolt destroys all of one kind of piece on the grid of your choice. They come in handy every so often, but overall they’re not really a necessity.
Instead of the wild jungles of Africa or the sands of Egypt, this game starts you off in ancient Rome. The artifact pieces that you collect throughout a single puzzle make a whole artifact, and after you complete a certain amount of puzzles then a mini game starts where you place those artifacts into a scene where they belong. Sounds kinda boring, but it’s actually quite satisfying.
Unlock the symbols. Or something.
I haven’t beaten the game yet, but I find myself going to this game more often than the others that I own now. For the price of zero you get a game that easily could sell in the App Store for $1.99 or more. If you like match three games at all then you need to check this one out before the makers, Playrix, find out that they can charge for an iPhone/iPod game, especially one of this calibre.
If you don’t like it then you’re out nothing, and that’s the beauty of it. I felt like I ripped them off by liking it so much and not paying for a full game. The inclusion of facebook integration alone should make this a paid app, but I’ll count my blessings in pennies saved. Call of Atlantis is sure to get up to the top of the list in the App Store, and it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if they started charging for it one day, because they should. They’d make a lot of money.
So click the “Share” buttons below to tell all your friends on Twitter and facebook, go to the App Store, and download this app. It’s fantastic! So suck it.
EDIT: Just read that this is a paid app, but it free for a limited time. Better get it while you can!
Bubble Gum and Energy Drinks 
What’s your favorite match three game?
I got this game based off of your review and cant put the damn thing down now…a lot of fun and the added challenges besides just matching 3 makes it much more challenging/fun than others I’ve played.
I agree, man. This game is rockin’.
Awesome app review.