Threes! is a magnificent game. Despite appearing as a number nerds game of magical math voodoo it instead is a puzzle game that has more in common with something like Tetris than the snore of algebra or calculus. And its such a wonderful game due to it refining a simple concept extremely well to create a pure experience thats fun and engaging every time you hop in for another game and try to beat your or a friends high score.
1+2 makes 3. 3+3=6. Numbers only add together if they are twins. 1 will only add with 2 and 2 only with 1. Numbers come together when pressed against a wall and you move numbers by either swiping up, down, left or right which also adds a new number to board. Eventually you’ll make 24 and this is Threes! The goal is to make the highest number you can, stopping when you run out of possible moves. Its a simple, straightforward concept and is sheer brilliance.
For one thing the game has perhaps the greatest tutorial sequence which I’ve ever seen. I’ve pretty much gone through it with you in the above paragraph and the moment when the instructions disappear and the menu icons appear is magic. You’ve been playing all along, the tutorial was all a hoax, the game has already started; you just didn’t know it yet.
The game also features as much charm than your typical Nintendo title. It makes you smile as the numbers ‘woo hoo’ and cheer to your successes and the ambient, hum along soundtrack creates a wonderful, enchanting game that tugs at your heart.
Its addicting, its majestic, theres as much depth and strategy to had as you desire. If you just want to pick up and play the game go for it. Should you desire to create complex algorithms to analyse the best possible move to make, feel free to fire ahead with that plan too. I initially said that Threes! was a lot like Tetris than the Math homework it may appear from a distance and I stand by that viewpoint. Its like Tetris because its a pure puzzle experience that contains just enough randomness per game that each one is its own unique experience. Its like Tetris because the soundtrack is timeless and you’ll find yourself singing it whilst in the shower or at random times throughout the day, once its implanted in the head its there to stay. Its also a lot like Tetris because its a game that I’ll happily play on any given day, the type of game you’d want if you were stuck on a desert island which thankfully is possible given its mobile release. Now if only there was a power outlet, I’d be set…