Fractal: Make Blooms not war finds the beauty in simplicity

Here at Refresh and Reload we certainly love independent game developers. Those funding games out of their own pockets who despite that, willingly take more risks in creating a unique gaming experience than most triple A studios dream of. I had the pleasure of picking up Fractal: Make Blooms Not War off of Steam from indie developer Cipher Prime for the cool price of $6.99. A damn fine music driven puzzler is what we get here, but Cipher Prime manages to put a tremendous amount of character in a game filled with inanimate objects.

Now I love a good shooter as much as the rest of us do, violence is ok in video games ya know, because that reset button works and it's cheaper than a therapist. But sometimes you need a thinking man's game and Fractal achieves just that with some atmospheric music and technicolor imagery to boot. The basic premise has you create a bloom shape by pushing hexagons on a board. Once the shape is created the bloom explodes with the outer pieces flying in each direction potentially hitting others and creating another bloom shape for a combo. Obviously the longer the combo the more points and the faster you advance through the particular level. You only get so many pushes each level to reach the desired score or you fail hard and miserably. You'll breeze through the first few levels overly confident and unprepared to get your ass kicked once two and three colors are introduced.

 

While the goal of the game is simple, several colors and a full board makes every move painstaking. You'll find yourself aware of nearly every hexagon at these moments with the music quickening the closer you come to failing. The music stars in this game with each level taking you through a greatly varied piece as you progress. You'll notice handwritten notes and diagrams on the side with hints and tips; it adds a certain personal touch to some levels as if the boys at Cipher Prime left some notes behind. As you play you'll run into assorted power ups as well that help lead to some big points such as bigger explosions and lighting which makes every piece touching the bloom count. Let's be honest, explosions make everything better, especially in technicolor. The colors certainly pop in Fractal and for some strange reason it draws you in and keeps you there. Simplicity is beauty some would say and I'm in agreeance here.

The game also sports a few modes outside of campaign, both are unlocked after you beat the first level. Arcade has you race against the clock with your choice of  the number of colors for higher difficulty. Fractal also features an extensive puzzle mode which is guaranteed to add some play time to the game. Overall Cipher Prime has given us a great puzzle game whose undeniable character stems from kick ass music, addictive gameplay, and superb visuals. The game garners a definite reload for me, I no doubt will be playing this again and again. Be sure to visit Cipher Prime's website, where you can find details on their other titles Auditorium and Pulse. You can find Fractal: Make Blooms Not War on Mac/Win and the ipad.

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