Noda Review

Noda has all the hallmarks of a successful mobile game. It's easy to learn but tricky to master, it can be played for five minutes or for much longer, and it offers stylish yet minimalistic looks. Oh, and it's free of any freemium-based stuff – other than a $0.99 in-app purchase to unlock all the levels. Yes, it's going to suck up puzzle gamers' free time quite easily.

Each level consists of a series of dots. You have to swipe from dot to dot in order to manipulate them, thereby moving them to other empty dots. Orange dots are the destination you're aiming for, with each level requiring you to deposit a particular number in a particular place. Starting out it's pretty easy, guiding you gently into the rules of the game. These rules consist of simple things such as you can't divide 1 (of course) and you can't combine two dots if their sum exceeds 9.

Such simplicity means Noda isn't muddled by complicated rules. It's a simple and clearly designed logic game, but one that can prove quite taxing over time. Fortunately you're not restricted to completing levels in a set order. You can jump around and try to tackle later ones, meaning there's always something to do. Plus, while a star is given for completing a level within a set number of moves, you can complete stages in however many moves work for you.

It's pretty fun too, proving ideal for mobile play as you can achieve a lot in a short space of time. Plus, it can easily be played with one hand while juggling other stuff. There are 120 levels in all once you pay up $0.99 for the rest, so there's plenty to sink your teeth into. While it's not quite as addictive as something like Threes!, Noda offers a similar experience that's worth checking out.