Face off against an army of puzzling one-eyed monsters in Cyclopsy
Cyclopsy is a fun puzzle game for Windows 10 that has you tackling a series of puzzle levels in a storyline fashion. Available for Windows 10 PC and Mobile, this free game places you in control of an army of cyclopes who are battling an army of black cyclopes.
Gameplay plays out much like a game of Othello or Reversi where you jump your opponents to turn them and eventually gain control of the puzzle board. Graphics are colorful and full of detail, gameplay offers a challenging level of difficulty and overall, Cyclopsy is a fun Windows 10 title to pass the time with.
If you are looking for a lighthearted puzzle game for Windows 10 that challenges your skills at strategy and looking ahead, Cyclopsy is a game you should try. The game opens up to a modest primary menu that offers options to play the game, visit the game's Facebook page and to choose your language support. Tapping the Play Button for the first time sends you to a modest tutorial that walks you through the basics of gameplay. Additional tutorial windows pop-up when new features become available for Cyclopsy.
Puzzles are spread out across hundreds of levels, progressively becoming more challenging. The game level map not only displays the puzzles stops, but also your game lives, gold counts, star counts, gift timer and bonus wheel points. Gold and stars are earned during gameplay and can be used to restore your lives or buy power-ups. Every twenty-four hours, you can earn bonus gifts and as you reach point thresholds, a bonus wheel becomes available.
The puzzle screen for Cyclopsy presents you with a checkerboard playing field that is partially populated with green and black cyclopes. You control the green army of the little green monsters and need to jump over the black cyclopes to turn them into green. Gameplay is turn based with the ultimate goal being to turn a specific percentage of the puzzle board into green cyclopes.
Jumps can be vertical, horizontal and diagonally with the ability to jump multiple monsters at once. Bonus items begin appearing on the puzzle board that includes bombs that destroy any adjacent monsters and a bouncy ball that randomly bounces around the board to destroy monsters. Land on these items as you jump a black cyclops and they become active.
Once the complete puzzle board is filled with monsters or there are no more moves available, success is measured by the percentage of the board held by green cyclopes. Cyclopsy sets the threshold modestly at 50% for the early stages of the game and progressively increases the percentage target as you travel the game map. A running total of your percentage is displayed at the side of the puzzle screen.
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Gameplay is regulated with lives. Cyclopsy affords you three lives and if you fail to complete a puzzle, you lose a life. Lives are restored over time or you can spend gold to restore them quicker.
Gameplay lacks any form of hints or power moves to help you tackle those head scratching moments. Difficulty levels are balanced to offer you a challenging puzzle to solve without becoming frustrating. Even though I don't mind having game lives, I wouldn't mind seeing the amount of lives available being increased to five. It takes twenty minutes to replenish lives and that can be a terribly long delay.
The free game is available for Windows 10 PC and Mobile with a few in-app purchase opportunities. Graphics are well drawn up, gameplay is challenging and while Cyclopsy has some room for improvement, overall the Windows 10 game is a fun option to spend a little down time with.
George is the Reviews Editor at Windows Central, concentrating on Windows 10 PC and Mobile apps. He's been a supporter of the platform since the days of Windows CE and uses his current Windows 10 Mobile phone daily to keep up with life and enjoy a game during down time.