Sheep Happens – When Greek Gods meet Sheep
In an ordinary world of peace and order comes another new game that is all but the complete opposite: Sheep Happens! The name successfully portrays this endless runner in all of its aspects: total chaos in an ancient world of flying bulls and sheep falling from the sky, where all aims are set on catching Hermes, the evil villain.
In the game, you collect coins, dodge obstacles and maneuver around other runners and try to catch Hermes and beat the hell out of him for a bonus! It’s an endless runner game with obstacles, other runners and lots (and lots) of sheep!
The game begins with a storyline in an ancient arena, where a couple of runners are ready to begin the race. Suddenly, a character shows up to offer our main hero some special footwear that’s supposed to make him faster. As he flies away, you notice coins from his bag start falling out. That’s when our hero is struck with a wild idea to chase that character, who is none other than – Hermes!
Controls:
You can control your man in 2 ways.
First is jumping- small jumps can be executed by tapping the screen quickly. Higher jumps need a slightly longer press. Once in the air, you can press and hold to glide. It’s all about avoiding the obstacles, which become more frequent and harder to avoid as you progress in the run. By the time you fall, the race has pretty much descended to all out madness of hurdles, sheep, runners, coins and fences.
However, there are some cool factors about the Sheep (of course) and Bulls. The sheep need to be jumped over – although landing on one lets you ride it. If you jump on the man carrying the Bull, the Bull flies back at you after a few seconds and you can hitch a ride on it.
Missions & Leaderboard:
The main goal of the game is to run as far as possible without tripping and falling. But the fun doesn’t stop there and honestly it would make no sense if that was just it. Sheep Happens is made thoroughly enjoyable by the inclusion of missions. As you finish one, another pops up and with time, they become harder to accomplish. Every time you complete a mission, you get awarded coins.
The game also has a Facebook and Google+ integration. This makes the game uber competitive as you can compete with friends to reach the top of the leader board. Also, in addition to this, every time you get a new high score, you are awarded with some bonus coins!
Store:
In order to help improve your overall score, you can purchase various Power-Ups from the store (which is essentially inside Hermes’ Cloak). The coins you collect can be used in the shop for upgrades, special power ups, different helmets, etc. You can even buy coins for real cash.
Cloud Save:
Sheep Happens also features cloud save! This feature allows you to load the same data on different devices! Definitely a huge plus point having it as it is a much-needed feature nowadays where consumers have both smartphones and tablets to play on!
The graphics are pretty cool and there is loads and loads of crazy animation going on. Additionally, sound is rich and chock full of quirky music and effects, creating an immersive experience while you are playing. This makes the game ideal for playing in shorter bursts. It’s very casual and lots of fun.
Color Zen
Color Zen by Large Animal Games is a relaxing puzzle game that you’ll want to immerse yourself in with a pair of headphones and a comfy spot. Don’t be fooled by the name, this game is simple but addictive and will have you at the edge of your seat trying to crack the levels.
You are presented with a series of colored shapes. Your objective is to match two objects with the same color. By moving shapes of the same color together, you can dye the background the same hue, This also eliminates the shapes from the field of play. The goal is to eventually reach the color on the edges of the stage, leaving nothing but a single shade. A simple premise. Some would say, “too simple”, but through some very competent design, fluid transitions and meditative music, the end result is certainly more than the sum of its parts.
Color Zen is easy enough at first – you just note the color of the border and make sure you bring those shapes together last. Even when there are nested shapes that seem to be dictating a certain approach, you almost always stumble across the solution on your first attempt without giving it any thought.
It’s a gentle introduction to the mechanics of the game, and it may leave you wondering where the challenge is supposed to lie.
Then, in quite an unlike Zen fashion, the challenge shows up towards the end of each chapter and gets you in a figurative headlock, overcoming you with a reason-defying arrangement of nested shapes that you need to carefully unpick.
As you make your way through the hundred stages, the game gradually introduces more elements – white shapes that turn the screen the color of the shape they collide with; black shapes that disappear along with the shape you pushed against them; multiple shapes within shapes; shields that you activate by double-tapping them.
The word ‘zen’ is as key in this release as it is in fellow contemplative puzzler Zen Bound. This isn’t one of those puzzle games where your brain is taxed by the problem set in front of you. Instead, the tasks seem engineered to put your brain on autopilot mode as you enjoy the movement of the pieces in front of you. This allows for a calm and relaxing gaming experience.
Each new level initially can seem insurmountable, with the nestled colors and arrangement of shapes appearing somewhat daunting. But, with simple shaking prompts alerting you to movable shapes, your fingers will instantly get to work, separating the colors and solving the problem.
The abstract shape arrangements play off the calming mechanics, music, and transitions to create a pleasing dichotomy of simplicity and complexity. (or at least the illusion of complexity). Obviously, those looking for a challenge or frenetic action should look elsewhere. But, if you’re after something a little different, or a game that can entertain and soothe simultaneously, you might want to put a little Color Zen in your life.
Color Zen is certainly original, and it’ll keep you playing for a long time assuming you’re sufficiently interested in its central mechanic. But you’ll have to be a gifted puzzle gamer to remain in a meditative state throughout. Give it a whirl on your Android device today by downloading it form Google Play Store today!
