Topple: Frustration in a neat little package.

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topple_icon_small I remember playing Jenga when I was a kid. My heart would stop as the tower wobbled after removing that precariously placed block. Battleship was a constant struggle to breathe as I broke out into cold sweats, waiting for the fatal blow to invariably come from nowhere. And Operation–Jesus Christ. I think I had my first coronary at age six, attempting to remove the patient’s femur with a woefully inadequate medical instrument. The ensuing “buzz” was more than my little body could take.

Over the years, my ability to manage stress and play unnecessarily frustrating games grew, but yesterday the horror all came back.

(I realize that a number of my posts hearken back to childhood issues. Maybe I should get that looked at.)

Surprisingly sophisticated design.

Anyway, Topple. It’s a ridiculously well put-together app. Is it fun to play? For most, yes. For me, not as much. So it will be difficult to keep objectivity, but I will attempt to do so.

The game is simple. Stack blocks as high as you can, progressing to higher and more difficult levels. The game really excels in almost every way, but the creative interface and innovative game play are really key. Blocks appear in the sky, and you must place them by simply “grabbing” them and putting them where you want. In addition, the game takes advantage of the iPhone’s multi-touch technology, allowing you to “twist” blocks to rotate them and place them in specific places.

This will end poorly.

The blocks don’t just fall in a straightforward, Tetris-like fashion, though. A block will accelerate as it falls, respond to the direction your finger was moving when you let it go, and wobble in place before settling. The physics engine is actually pretty sophisticated for an iPhone app, giving the game an added level of difficulty.

Even cooler is the “wobble control” feature. Holding your phone, you can tilt it left or right to help keep the blocks from falling. It becomes a key skill in later levels.

As you progress, the platform on which you build your tower becomes misshapen, and building a solid foundation becomes much more difficult.

The interface, as well, is simple but great. Little faces decorate all the blocks, staring you down as you ceremoniously stack them on each other, and the background actually reflects the growing difficulty of the game. Very nice.

This game drives me crazy. It raises my stress level to unnecessary heights. But I must look past that and admit that it is one of the most fun games on the iPhone. Simple and well designed, Topple is a must-have for all those who love Tetris and Jenga (and all the other games that drive me to tears).

And, right now, it’s free. So get it while the getting’s good.

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