A Life of Logic review
I've been writing a lot about Apple Arcade these days, and that's because it's probably the most interesting thing going on in the mobile space lately. Nothing underscores that more than games like A Life of Logic. This free-to-play puzzle game has an amazing core that I could play for hours and hours, but developers Latte Games aren't happy to just let me enjoy it. Instead, the game is prioritizes a monetization model that takes what is otherwise a good game and turns it sour.
Sudoku spin
The tagline for A Life of Logic is "The next Sudoku is here," and that's a pretty accurate description of what this game is going for. The game presents you with a grid that is partially filled with two kinds of numbers-1's and 0's-and by following three simple rules, your job is to fill in the rest of the grid.
The rules are as follows: each row and column must have an equal number of 1's and 0's, no number can repeat three times in a row, and no two rows or columns can be identical. These may sound tough to follow, but after the first puzzle or two, it's easy to enter a flow state with the game where the rules feel completely natural.
Rational racing
Filling in boards with 0's and 1's couldn't be easier, as all it takes is a simple tap (for 0) or two (for 1) to transform any blank square. Between these easy controls and the straightforward ruleset, you can fly through even relatively large grids in a minute or two. This is to say A Life of Logic isn't a particularly challenging game, but it's oddly satisfying nonetheless.
Of course, if you are looking for a challenge, the game can accommodate for that. There is a multiplayer mode in A Life of Logic, plus a daily challenge, both of which ask you to compete to complete puzzles as quickly as possible to earn coins, which you can bank to use on hints and undos in the game, or buy new tilesets to change up the game's visuals.
Mind-flaying monetization
The real beauty in A Life of Logic is just how well its simple puzzle rules remain fun, even as you zip through levels. This beauty is hard to appreciate though, as A Life of Logic is marred with technical issues and a terrible free-to-play model, both of which seem hellbent on ruining your experience.
On the free-to-play front, A Life of Logic has a stamina system, pop-up video ads, premium currency (coins), and even a monthly subscription that asks you for $4.99 a month. If you pay for just about anything in the game, you can remove the ads, but everything else remains in place, which is exactly why I don't recommend putting even one cent into this game.
If that weren't bad enough, A Life of Logic's multiplayer system is completely broken at the moment. So, while you're watching ads and spending stamina to play the game, there's an entire mode that crashes you out to your home screen if you try to play it at all.
The bottom line
A Life of Logic is truly one of the most frustrating games I've ever played. The core game that's here is really smart and fun, but everything around it is so terrible and/or broken that you can't really enjoy it. With games like this hitting the App Store these days, it makes services like Apple Arcade seem all the more important.
