Author: George

  • The Battle of Polytopia

    Score Card

    CategoryScore
    Hit Box200
    Game Quality231
    Offline Play100
    Adverts100
    Total Score631

    Impressions

    Wow, I am blown away! The Battle of Polytopia is a compelling strategy game that feels like a combination of Chess and Risk1. The game, built around the deep lore of Polytopia’s world, begins with you picking a starting tribe—your army—to explore and conquer with. Every tribe has its own design, terrain advantages, and, more importantly, a specialized starting advantage and unit type. For example, the Oumaji tribe starts off with a Rider, a special troop unit able to travel long distances, while the ∑∫ỹriȱŋ tribe can hatch Dragons as super units to take into battle.

    As you conquer cities to add to your empire, discover technologies, forge alliances, and battle your enemies, you’ll enjoy the relaxing in-game music and sound effects, which are unique to each tribe—enhancing the game’s lore and immersion.

    Hit Box

    The Battle of Polytopia has kept me engaged as a player for years. It offers many different tribes to choose from and game modes such as Perfection (where you strive for the highest score), Domination (where you aim to eliminate your enemies), and Creative (where you pick your map type and play style). Between the varied play modes, random map generation, and tribes with their own mechanics and strategies, this game is bound to keep you entertained for a long time. Additionally, I would be remiss not to mention the multiplayer and pass-and-play modes that let you compete with your friends.

    Game Quality

    Polytopia has a passionate developer and a community that deeply enjoys the game, and it shows in the final product. From the attention to detail in the graphics, music, help wikis, balance, and mechanics, this game is finely polished. The game continues to receive updates, and the development team recently released Weekly Challenges, a game mode where players compete for the high score—each starting with the same challenge map.2

    Offline Play

    The Battle of Polytopia will work without an internet connection.

    Adverts

    There are absolutely zero advertisements in this game. The game does include in-app-purchases for different starting tribes.

    Links:

    app store icon
    Google Play Store app icon

    1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Risk_(game) ↩︎
  • Flow Free

    Flow Free

    Score Card

    CategoryScore
    Hit Box40
    Game Quality48
    Offline Play100
    Adverts100
    Total Score288

    Impressions

    Yes, this classic puzzle game is still relevant! Flow is a simple and straightforward puzzle game. Despite being first released in 20121, Flow Free has stood the test of time. I enjoyed the clean design and the mental challenge of connecting flows. The easier levels are approachable for any skill level, while the harder ones are enough to give even experienced puzzle solvers a run for their money.

    Hit Box

    Flow, while relaxing, does make you think. I was never hooked on the game, but I did find myself playing it on the subway where there’s no internet connection. Overall, the puzzles were challenging, engaging, and rewarding to solve. I recommend this game to anyone who enjoys straightforward puzzle games.

    Game Quality

    It’s a classic, the developer has had plenty of time to work out any bugs and even expand with creative 3D style puzzles. The UI and interaction are simple, but that’s nothing to complain about, especially when the premise of the game is so straightforward and clear.

    Offline Play

    Flow Free will work without an internet connection.

    Adverts

    The advertisements can be intrusive and pop up at intervals. The game includes an option to pay to remove advertisements.

    Links:

    app store icon
    Google Play Store app icon

    1. Wikipedia contributors. (2025, March). Flow Free. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved May 14, 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_Free ↩︎
  • Blackbox

    Blackbox

    Score Card

    CategoryScore
    Hit Box135
    Game Quality299
    Offline Play113
    Adverts100
    Total Score647

    Impressions

    The iOS exclusive app Blackbox takes puzzle games to the next level. With minimal or subtle hints for each level you must first figure out what you need to do and then execute it. Blackbox isn’t your run of the mill Sudoku

    Hit Box

    I have been playing this game now for over 3 years and have yet to solve all the puzzles in this game. The fact that I have always have Blackbox downloaded on my phone and continue to open it and try to crack puzzle is a testament not only to this games creative puzzles but also to satisfying and fun trying to crack its puzzle is. Never did I think when I first downloaded it that I would still be regularly engaged opening and attempting to solve this game 3 years later.

    Game Quality

    A lot of thought was put into the design, graphics and complexity of the puzzles in Blackbox. The

    Offline Play

    Blackbox will work without an internet connection, and in fact even encourage a lack of connection to solve some if its challenges.

    Adverts

    A simple app with no advertisements gave Blackbox a high score in this category.

    Links:

    app store icon

  • Mars: Mars

    Mars: Mars

    Score Card

    CategoryScore
    Hit Box58
    Game Quality130
    Offline Play100
    Adverts60
    Total Score348
    Screenshot of Mars:Mars

    Impressions

    As an astronaut you jet pack from landing pad to landing pad in this infinite scrolling platformer game. Mars is a well made game with the physics feeling perfectly balanced and the vivid backgrounds and scenery truly making you feel relaxed. This game is great when you just need something chill to keep your fingers active. You can easily listen to podcasts, audio books and lectures without it becoming distracting or using up a lot of your headspace.

    Hit Box

    Mars was not a game that was particularly exciting or addicting. I didn’t keep coming back to this game because I was hooked or couldn’t put my phone down. I came back to Mars because it was simply lovely the relaxing game play, graphics, and the ability to play while I listen to audio books was what sold me on it.

    Game Quality

    I’ve stated many times just how well built Mars is the graphics, controls, and gravity feel of the character as they fly through space is satisfying. The low battery utilization of Mars was the cherry on top making it a great and versatile game.

    Offline Play

    Mars: Mars plays the same with internet as it does without a connection. For this it earned full marks.

    Adverts

    The advertisements in the game were not distracting or unsolicited. Every ad I came across was due to me choosing to watch the advertisement for some form of in game rewards.

    Links:

    app store icon
    play store icon

  • Rating Methodology v1

    How do are Apps and Games rated on Overflow Error?

    This is the first rating methodology developed for Overflow Error. Apps are given a score for each of the below categories. There is no upper bound or in-fact lower bound score that can be assigned for the categories. This rating system is developed to express and rate purely how much enjoyment a game brought the rater of Overflow Error while also highlighting on key features that can make or break a game such as advertisement intrusiveness and internet requirements.

    Ranking Categories

    Hit Box

    Did this game hit? Did I want to keep it installed on my phone? Do I unconsciously open this game? How badly did I want to tell my friends about the game? Did I have an assignment due but still open this game knowing I was just digging myself a bigger hole?

    Game Quality

    Was love put into the game? A little salt, pepper, oregano and chili to make it pop? Was this game just a billboard cash grab?

    Offline Play

    Does this game still function without a connection to the internet?

    Advertisements

    Is the game like its advertisements? Was I hoodwinked into downloading this game? Are there random, obnoxious and unsolicited advertisements while I play this game?

  • Lucky Defense!

    Lucky Defense!

    Score Card

    CategoryScore
    Hit Box120
    Game Quality80
    Offline Play0
    Adverts40
    Total Score240

    Impressions

    Lucky Defense stood out to me since it was based on the premise that everything in the game was based purely on your luck. The game puts a spin on the traditional “Tower Defense” genre. Instead of selecting what towers you buy, the purchase spawns in a defender based on a lucky – or unlucky – roll of the dice. This game leaves you praying get a lucky legendary defender or that one last defender needed to make a level up combo.

    Hit Box

    It took me some time to warm up to this game. The tutorial was more annoying then helpful but once I got the gist of the game I did keep coming back to it. The premise is extremely simple and not much thought is needed to play the game. There are some strategic options involved but they mostly lay in what rarity you want to summon or what upgrades you want to get in game.

    Game Quality

    For a game with a simple premise much thought was put into the game mechanics, defender characters and rewards system. This game is not just a billboard to show advertisements or is it a cash grab. While I can see how some players may want to pay for in game items, this game is completely balanced on the free-to-play route.

    Offline Play

    Lucky Defense does not function at all without an internet connection. This makes sense as the game is played cooperatively with another player however, a solo-mode or offline mode is not unreasonable to ask for in a tower defense game.

    Adverts

    The advertisements in the game were not distracting or unsolicited. Every ad I came across was due to me choosing to watch the advertisement for some form of in game rewards.