Square Valley

I originally said that the game was very good up to a point, I could not get past the Sanctuary level, I even deleted the game. However I started it again but played the sandbox mode games to get more familiar with the rules. I’ve now got past the Sanctuary level after many attempts (The designers have made it possible) so I’m really enjoying playing it again. The only down side is that it’s very addictive and I’m spending too long on it. I do wish the game area was larger and could be played landscape mode on iPad.

It’s a deceptively simple premise. Each tile has different rules governing where it can be placed and how it scores points. You are given a small selection from a random deck and must find the best place to play a tile. But the interlocking and competing requirements of all the different tiles quickly ramp up the challenge and the available spots shrink the further the game progresses. Add every few turns you have to consider how best to place a road or a river or a wall or a fence. Each will have a different set of implications for the tiles on the board and those you have yet to place. The art is simple but pleasing, the UI is very intuitive and any thought that the gameplay might get repetitive is quickly dispelled by the huge set of levels that gradually unlock more and more buildings, rules and challenges. All this and no in-app purchases or irritating adverts? This - this! - is how mobile games should be.

This is a lovely little game that provides just the right amount of challenge at every new level. Feels like a board game you can play by yourself. Nice music too.

This is an excellent puzzle game. It strikes the perfect balance between challenge and simplicity. Every level is different and some of the random features mean you never know what sort of challenge you’ll face each round. The tile characteristics are sometimes a little difficult to interpret, but after a few tries and seeing the final scoring it makes more sense. Otherwise it’s quite brilliant. The experience of playing is actually quite relaxing when listening to the pleasant music too. Thoroughly enjoying it and worth the small cost of the app. Five star game.

A wonderful game, I’ve spent many hours on it. It combines being relaxing with being challenging too. Ignore the 1 star reviews, clearly written by people who find anything more than Candy Crush too difficult to understand.

This game is confusing, pointless and has no real play to it. The tutorial gives little to no guidance and the game has no aim, I found myself just tapping away and random things and I somehow get points that make no sense. An absolute WASTE of my money and unfortunately it’s difficult to get a refund.

When you want to just ‘switch off’ and relax, Square Valley does the job. What a great game. Good visuals, gentle background music and no annoying ads popping up after each round. Simply brilliant and well worth the price.

The game is unplayable. The tutorial doesn’t have sufficient instructions to make it work properly. The buttons aren’t highlighted. This looked like a charming puzzle game. However, I feel utterly cheated. Do NOT buy the game.

This is a lovely relaxing game which hides a layer of strategic challenge I wasn’t expecting. The levels slowly introduce new concepts which keeps the game interesting over time. I would highly recommend Square Valley

Completely loving this. There are far too few good games that play in portrait mode on the phone and this one is a cracker. Like a progressively more sophisticated Carcassonne playable in snack-sized sessions. Give it a try!