Test your patience and combat skills with Eufloria for the BlackBerry PlayBook

One of the ways in which I pass the time is by playing games on my BlackBerry PlayBook. You wouldn't think that staring at a tablet all night would be cause for relaxation but sometimes you come across a game that mixes soothing sounds, pleasing visuals, and a little strategy to not only keep your mind sharp but calms you down as well. Eufloria by Omni Systems Limited may be a game about spreading seeds and growing flowers and colonies, but it's extremely infectious and one you won't be putting down anytime soon.

It does take some time getting used to the premise but once you do this game is quite addicting. What is the endgame you may ask? As you progress through each level, your basic goal is to populate the asteroids by spreading your seedlings, or spores, for the "Growers." New elements and short-term goals are introduced in every level as you learn how to play.

Features

• Beautifully designed touch screen interface
• A 25 level "Story Mode" with many hours of gameplay
• "Relaxed Mode", for a more ambient experience which anyone can enjoy
• "Skirmish Levels" that can be played over and over
• "Dark Matter Mode" for a stylish, more challenging way to play
• Original ambient soundtrack by "Milieu"
• Many procedurally generated levels which are different every time!

As you explore all of the territories, you must overcome various enemies to gain control of each and every asteroid in that level. While these planetoids vary in size and strength your army of seedlings also come in three types in order to colonize them depending on strength, speed, and power. All of which can either hinder or further your progress.

Those new to the game can also control the speed in which the game advances (slow, medium, and fast) until acclimated. For me, sometimes the highest speed is still too slow, and again there is a lot of waiting involved in this game, especially while your reinforcements grow and mature.

To make matters more interesting, users can choose to zoom in to view detailed scenes or zoom out for the overall board. If you choose the latter you are missing out on the sounds and graphics that allow you to view each seedling be planted and bloom, fly in frenzy around the asteroid, or engage the enemy.

Eufloria is a beautiful and soothing game though the pace can be slow at times especially when restarting the level from scratch. The skill is learning how to maneuver your seedlings based on their abilities and how many dyson trees to plant in order to strengthen your asteroid against an attacking swarm.

That's not to say Eufloria isn't intriguing and fun for a real-time strategy game. For me the, the desire to conquer each of the territories or to see what new levels and features is what keeps bringing me back each and every night. You can find Eufloria for only $2.99 in BlackBerry World.

More information/purchase Eufloria HD for the BlackBerry PlayBook