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Filed under: Fun, Games, iPhone

Minim (now on iPhone): the game so nice we've reviewed it thrice

If you've been a Download Squad reader for a while, you've probably heard about the 3-D molecular puzzle game, Minim. I reviewed it back in May, and Jason reviewed it again in July (oops!). However, I've got my hands on the iPhone version now, and it's worlds better than the Flash one we played before.

The object of Minim is to match up various numbered molecules until you clear the board. When you combine two of the same number, they form a single molecule that's one number greater. Eventually, you'll wind up with just one left, and you've won the level. The thing is, Minim is a lot more fun when you can use the iPhone's gestures to rotate the game board to see what you're working with. Using the mouse in the web version was fine, but the sense of manipulating the puzzle with your fingers adds an extra element of awesome. Check out the trailer after the jump to see how it works.

Minim isn't fast-paced (although you do get time bonuses for quickly solving puzzles), so it's ideal for mobile play on the bus, in the subway, or at your desk. It's cool, we won't tell your boss. The game comes with 50 basic levels, and there appear to be another 40 mystery levels, if you make it that far. For 2 bucks, you're getting your money's worth if you're a puzzle fan.

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Filed under: Fun, Games, Kids, Time-Wasters, Web

Minim - Time Waster

MinimMinim is a puzzle game where your goal is to deconstruct molecules until they disappear. This is done by sequentially clicking any two nodes of the same number that are linked by a single strand. The tutorial levels are deceptively simple, showing the mechanics of the games, but the puzzles become very difficult very fast. Luckily, the game is rendered in 3D, and allows you to freely rotate the molecule you are working on so that you can determine your best move.

Interestingly, Minim is the first free online Flash game that I've seen advertise that it has a companion iPhone version. This seems like a brilliant move - get people hooked on the free online version, then sell them a version they can take with them.

Minim is very pretty and quite challenging, two things that any good puzzle game must have. It's exceedingly satisfying to finish of a particularly complex molecule, and that is what will likely have you coming back again and again to play more Minim.

Filed under: Fun, Games, Time-Wasters

Minim: puzzling molecular fun - Time Waster

I absolutely love head-scratching puzzle games, and Minim fits the bill. Gameplay is simple: you match connected molecules by number, making them disappear until you clear the board. The levels themselves are not so simple. Once you make it past the basic learning-the-ropes intro levels, you'll find your rotating the board and resetting the puzzle, trying to find the one move that will unravel the whole thing.

As the game progresses, new twists appear in the game. There are blue connections that let you swap adjacent molecules, addition and subtraction molecules that change the numbers on the board, and other monkey wrenches that generally make the puzzle harder. Minim may require minimal skill to play, but it requires some creativity to beat.

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So, just how good at time waster games are you? Think you've got the stuff? Well, The World's Hardest Game 2.0 doesn't think you do. Yes, amazingly, it's possible to have a sequel to a game called "The World's Hardest Game". It doesn't seem logically possible, since if the first one was actually the world's hardest, how could another one come along and share the moniker? It made me doubt the name in the first place. That is, until I tried the game. The mechanics of the game are very simple. You are a small red square, ...

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