App Review: “Into The Circle” (iOS)

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Released this week by publisher Gameblyr (Pathogen, Third Eye Crime), Into the Circle is a physics based title that’s inspired by the sport of curling. Although you won’t be sliding stones on a sheet of ice, your brain will be challenged to near exertion.

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The goal of the game is to accurately throw a ball from one circle to the next. If you overshoot your mark, the only way to continue is to spend a certain amount of earned stars. When the ball is inside a circle, a moving arrow serves as its guide to hit the next circle. By touching and holding onto your screen, the arrow will stop and aim at the next circle.

"Into The Circle" - Gameblyr
“Into The Circle” – Gameblyr

After aiming at the next circle, the next task is to release your finger and watch the ball travel to its next destination. Since this is a physics based game, the key to mastering “Into The Circle” is having a plethora of concentration and patience, since this app isn’t just a mindless touch and tap experience.

If your ball lands exactly on the “x” spot within each circle, you’ll get extra points for your marksmanship. As great as it is to rack up one’s score, your main goal for “Into The Circle” is to simply keep the ball rolling (or in this case, throwing).

"Into The Circle" - Gameblyr
“Into The Circle” – Gameblyr

Into the Circle, developed by ZipZap Games, is free to play, but if you want to purchase the ultimate edition (which comes with 500 stars, no pop up ads, and two different play screens), it’ll cost $3.99.

I played over two and a half hours of “Into The Circle,” splitting my gameplay between my iPhone 6 and iPad. The game played well on both devices, but since “Into The Circle” has more of a pick up and play dynamic, I preferred playing the app on the iPhone.

The visual design is sleek and intentionally austere, and the music was catchy and unobtrusive. “Into The Circle‘s” bread and butter lies in its addicting and often difficult gameplay, so its minimalist aesthetic, both in graphics and sound, were completely welcome.

Pop-up ads are pretty much the devil one sleeps with when playing free-to-play apps, but thankfully “Into The Circle” keeps all these distractions to a minimum. Purchasing in-game currency also isn’t a must to enjoy “Into The Circle,” as you can restart as many games as you like without using any stars (of course, you’ll have to watch or skip over an ad, now and again, but that shouldn’t be a huge deterrent).

"Into The Circle" - Gameblyr
“Into The Circle” – Gameblyr

As physics based experiences go, “Into The Circle” was an addicting experience, and I’ll continue to play this app on my iPhone as the weeks progress.

“Into The Circle” is now available, free to play, via the App Store.