Stack ١٢+

I was obsessed with this game for a while, got all the designs and slowly started playing less... I remember being really excited when the Art ones came out, but otherwise it has become just one of a number of apps I play when I’m avoiding social media... I clicked on it and could tell there had been an update since I last played and immediately went to get a new design... All the diamonds I had collected since the Art designs came out were gone. Which wouldn’t have been a huge deal to me, but I also apparently no longer have any designs and the idea of having to start over is just too stressful for a fun game, so I’m going to be deleting the app. But it is still a fun game if you aren’t one to get too caught up in collecting that potentially losing designs bothers you...

I absolutely enjoy this game. It reminds me of tap and stack games you would see at arcades. The piano tones that emit from the slabs after stacking them perfectly are relaxing. I also like that there skins for the slabs that you can get by simply playing the game and those skins alter the background (for example the fish slab skin adds bubbles to the background alongside the gradient colors). Just to mention, there are some skins that you can get only by liking through facebook and instagram.

[Ad suggestion]
I recommend there a title screen transition into an advertisement. Like a view screen of the Stack’s logo, the creator’s logo and a notice that an ad is coming up next. The reason I recommend this is due to how sudden the ads appear when I simply open the app or finish a game of Stacks. It’s uncomfortable to get immediately hit with an ad. It’s as if it’s being thrusted into my face and I’m so annoyed I’m not even paying attention to what’s being advertised to me. Especially when it’s an ad that has a loud sound or theme. I’m aware that ads can be removed for $2.99, but I feel the sudden burst of an ad will negatively effect the app’s presentation. In conclusion, I just want a warning that an ad is about to appear.

1. You can’t save your progress, even though sign in is an option. When you delete the game, all your designs, diamond, achievements/ challenges go away. Very frustrating after countless hours of collecting. I’ve now unlocked and lost every design twice, I recently uninstalled and lost my 3000 diamonds and my 300 high score, along with all the designs.

2. The game can get laggy, especially if you leave the app and come back. I have an iPhone 14 pro, and had this problem on my iPhone 12. Can’t play a game that is won with timing if the game lags. If you don’t leave the app, this probably won’t be an issue, though so not a huge deal.

3. It’s almost impossible to find a good design because they change colors and it gets too dark to see the corners. This will almost definitely cause you to fail. A few have outlined borders, which makes it easier.. but even these will get too dark sometimes (retro, art V). I will get 40 perfect in a row and then it turns black and I can’t even see the corner. It’s so frustrating and obvious that this should be an issue. I wish there were more than 2 or 3 that remain the same color each time (gold, platinum) because even these are hard to see.

I love this game and it’s a really good thing to do if you like to waste your life away on your phone, but I wish just a little bit more attention to detail was put in. Maybe some new designs, progress tracker, etc.