Your addictive iOS game for the week

[dlevere]

By Jason Kottke

Hundreds. The concept and gameplay is super-simple...tap to expand circles until you reach a score of 100 without letting an expanding circle touch anything.

And then it gets surprisingly difficult. Check out how the game play works:

[dlevere]

The Sin of Greed Is Your Saw-Blade Downfall in Hundreds

By Ryan Rigney

With a flick, the saw blade is deactivated, at least for a moment. I desperately scan the arena and spy a lone bubble escaping towards the top-left corner of my iPad’s screen. I catch it with my thumb, staring as the number in the center rockets upwards, faster than the pennies counter at a gas pump. 60, 70, 80.

A splash of red fills the screen. I’d made it to 97 total points before the saw blade sliced my bubble, my greed ensuring my demise.

Unfortunately for me, this iOS game is not called Ninety-Sevens; it’s called Hundreds, a beautiful touch puzzler created in collaboration between prolific indie devs Adam Saltsman (Canabalt) and Greg Wholwend (Gasketball).

Each level in Hundreds contains a varying number of bubbles that contain a number. Touching a bubble causes it to rapidly swell in size and value, and it turns from a friendly gray color to red. Your goal is to get the sum of all on-screen bubbles to 100.

Some levels are a puzzle that must be carefully studied, then conquered in a flurry of specifically planned actions. Others are complex, tightly packed ecosystems that will frustrate those lacking in patience.

Every touch becomes a balance between blissful indulgence and a healthy dose of cautious claustrophobia. “I can keep going for just one more second,” you’ll say to yourself. But hold on one moment too long and you’re busted.

Soon, you’re confronted with twists. Saw blades cause bubbles to lose all their value, while ice freezes all others in place. Eventually Hundreds gets downright mean, exposing you to some bubbles that constantly bleed points and others that stay red all the time.

Most games on my iOS devices fall into the “puzzle” genre, but few of them possess the style and thoughtful design of Hundreds. Oh, and look at this snazzy official website!

Final note: If you don’t have an iPad, you may want to skip Hundreds, which is a bit cramped on smaller iPod and iPhone screens.