Cogs

Summary

After yesterday's 100 Floors puzzle review, we really got in a puzzle frame of mind, which is why today we decided to review Cogs for you. Cogs is yet another puzzle app, but, as was the case with 100 Floors, its unique gameplay caught our attention. More below.

Test device: HTC One S with Android 4.0

What sets Cogs apart from other puzzles is the game's goal, which is to put something together using puzzle pieces, but these pieces are mechanical elements that create a construction which in turn becomes a machine. When you successfully complete a puzzle a cute animation is displayed as a reward, so to speak.

The elements are positioned on a bunch of tiles that must be shifted around, but the space in which the tiles are located is limited, which makes things trickier.

Another cog in the wheel is the fact that levels are set up in 3D, for instance a die. This means that you have to think about how to apply power to several corners at once.

Another 3D puzzle features tiles that have construction elements on the front and back and have to be connected with respect to this.

There are 50 puzzles in total that can be mastered in three different game modes. There's the “Inventor mode” which is actually a prerequisite for mastering the two “Challenge modes”. Challenge modes are a bit trickier in the sense that they present a race against the clock or allow only a limited number of moves.

Bottom line:

Cogs is a fun and rather challenging puzzle app. There are different levels of difficulty, making it suitable for very experienced and gifted puzzle players as well as amateurs.
A lot of attention to detail went into the design, to which we say “thumbs up!”. 

Cogs has a distinctly mechanical-technical feel to it, which goes nicely with its gameplay and theme.
All of the individual puzzles have a similar look, but they are also varied.
Users who appreciate a very bare, clean kind of aesthetic may find the menu design somewhat loaded and overbearing (it includes animations, sound effects and other moving elements).

Controls and navigating the app are a piece of cake. Features are all intuitive to use and the instructions are user friendly and well made.

Cogs performed flawlessly throughout our test: smooth, no lagging and minimal loading times.

Cogs costs EUR2.39 and can be found in Google Play. Considering you are getting round about 10 full hours of game time we find this price to be fair.