Shape Shifter by Astraware Price: $19.95
Reviewed February 2005 by Marc Morgan

Shape Shifter is a puzzle game from award-winning developer Astraware with a circus theme. It’s an original game, and it’s really addictive. Like many other Astraware games, Shape Shifter features both music and sound effects, and is full of beautiful colors. At first glance, you might think Shape Shifter is just another puzzle game out of the hundreds out there, but prepare to be amazed!

The idea in Shape Shifter is to fill in all of the empty spaces with shapes that match with the space on the moving bars so the bar disappears. There are different types and colors of shapes, such as stars, hands, snowflakes, arrows, leaves, feet, and many more! There are also pieces that can be used in any space, and they appear every once and a while during gameplay. If you can’t use any of the pieces available, you can put a piece in the red and blue trash, and a new piece will take its place. There are two different game modes to choose from: Beat the Clock and Shape Speedster. In Beat the Clock mode, you have to fill a certain amount of bars before the time runs out. There are also bonus levels every once and a while to test your skill. In Shape Speedster, you have to fill a certain amount of bars before they pile up to the top of the screen. If they pile to the top of the screen, it’s game over. If you manage to clear all the bars on the screen, and there are still more bars waiting to come, they will come immediately for you to get rid of. Between levels, there is a nice level-up screen that you can use as a break before you start the next level. Before you start the game, you can choose to start anywhere from levels 1-99, depending on your skill. On the first level, if you select a piece to use, the empty spaces that can fit it will glow, but in levels after the first, you have to receive a power-up by using a sparkling piece to do this. Shape Shifter provides a great new concept that’s both easy to master, and very addictive.

The controls in Shape Shifter are simple and easy to master. To fill a space, you tap on the piece you want to use, and drag it to the space. If you can’t use the space, you drag it to the red and blue trash. Navigation through the menus is done using the stylus as usual. Getting used to the controls takes no time at all, and they are easy to use.

When you open Shape Shifter, you will be greeted with beautiful circus-themed graphics. All the menus are well decorated and follow the theme well. In gameplay, the shapes all have brilliant colors, and jump off the screen at you. All the other aspects of the gameplay are smooth, and look amazing. Also, the layout is perfect, so you can easily look at how you’re doing, and what shapes you can use without losing time. The graphics in Shape Shifter meet and go beyond the expectations you would have for an Astraware game.

Shape Shifter features both sound effects and music. The music flows continuously throughout the game, and is a perfect match with the theme. There are many sound effects, such as putting a piece in a space, a piece not fitting in a space, menu selection, etc. The sound effects add to the game nicely, and do not get annoying. However, you can turn the sounds off if you need to.

Overall, Shape Shifter is a great game with a great concept. The idea of filling shapes into moving spots is easy to get used to and great fun. The graphics are well done, colourful, and easy on the eyes. The music works perfectly with the theme of the game, and sounds great. The sound effects really add to the game. Best of all, Shape Shifter is easy to get into, and simple enough for anyone to pick up, yet addicting and hard to put down.

Playing Hints and Tips

• Try to move quickly, as the rows of spaces can pile up quickly
• Try to focus on filling one row at a time, as you may end up with a screen full of half-full rows