Resynth

Visually, Resynth is rather impressive with a simple and clean minimalistic aesthetic. Everything is flat with uncomplicated icons that are easy to see and recognize. When you look at Resynth, it's like a combination of retro and futuristic in one, which is nice eye candy. The color palette ranges from soft pastel shades to bold and vibrant hues that all contrast nicely with the background color. The lights on the grid are noticeable from a distance and it's straightforward when it comes to what needs to be done. Animations are smooth and fluid, especially when the puzzle starts coming to life with music.

What makes Resynth different from other puzzles is the fact that music plays an integral part in this game. This is definitely a game that one should play with the music on, and preferably with some good headphones. Resynth features a soothing synth-pop style soundtrack, which makes sense since the game acts like a synthesizer. Each stage will start with a few beeps and clicks, but as you push the objects into place, the track slowly puts itself together. The final product plays once the puzzle is complete and comes to life.

Like other puzzle games, Resynth is level-based, and right now there are 72 puzzles to solve with the initial download. If you finish all of those and want more, there are more level packs that you can get through in-app purchases. At the moment, there's only one more pack available, and it costs $0.99. The objective in each stage is pretty clear cut: push all of the blocks into the colored spaces and line up the X's on the spokes into their proper places. Each node acts as a musical note, so once you get them into the right places, the musical track comes to life. There's also a psychedelic visual on the screen to let you know when the puzzle is complete.

The controls in Resynth are easy and intuitive. To move your white square, just swipe your finger on the screen in the direction you want to go (up, down, left, right). If you're unable to move, there's a subtle visual and audio clue. Since Resynth is a puzzle, you do have to plan your moves carefully, since sometimes the blocks you need to push into the colored nodes may get stuck. If you make a mistake and can't get out of it, just tap on the restart button in the upper left. The game also has that button flash when you make a fatal mistake and there's no other option.

Each level has three medals to earn. One is automatically given for completing the stage. You can earn another by solving the puzzle in the least amount of moves, and the last one requires a fast completion time. If you're the type of person who needs to perfect each level, it may take a few tries on some stages before you can achieve that. And even if you're not, it's a good reason to come back to a stage and try to do better.

So Resynth has a good amount of replay value, especially since there are also more level packs to purchase. But keep in mind that you can enjoy the game at your own pace if you desire - the medals are just bonus challenges to give yourself.

Resynth is a stunning music puzzle game that will appeal to fans of synth-pop music and puzzlers. The game has a fantastic minimalistic design that looks modern and fresh, yet can be retro at the same time (depending on the colors). The music is excellent and well worth the cost of the download. It's easy to control, and the puzzles themselves are challenging enough for everyone, from casuals to gaming veterans. With the bonus objectives to complete, as well as even more level packs, there's a lot of replay value involved.

There's not many negatives that I can think of when it comes to Resynth. However, the only thing I wish that the game had that is not implemented at the moment is an undo button. If you make a mistake that you can't fix, you have to restart from the beginning. I think if there was an undo button, there would be less frustration involved, especially if the mistake's made later on in the puzzle. Hopefully the developer can consider this in a future update.

As a big fan of music and puzzle games, I am in love with Resynth. The game's minimalist aesthetic is just what I like to see in mobile games, and the colors are fantastic. The synth-pop and electronic tracks and sound effects are delightful to my ears. I can see myself playing this for a while just because of the music. Controls are easy to follow, and overall, the game mechanic and concept is straightforward. I believe that the additional level packs are well worth the dollar, and I hope to see even more content sooner rather than later. And having iCloud game saves is great, because I'll never lose my progress when I move between iOS devices.

I highly recommend giving Resynth a try if you're in the mood for an upbeat and quirky musical puzzle game. Resynth is on the App Store as a universal download on your iPhone and iPad for $1.99. There are in-app purchases for more level packs.