Developer: Arts Alliance
Publisher: Arts Alliance
Platforms: Switch
Tested on: Switch
Estiman – Review
Games these days all seem to have or must have flashing graphics, fast-paced gameplay and stunning music. Some titles want to get back to the basics and you can take that quite literal. Estiman for example will address your estimation skills and nothing more than that. Are you ready for some guessing?
Story
This game doesn’t have any story whatsoever. You’re practically thrown into the game with a bit of explanation but that’s all. There isn’t any goal you need to get or any saving that needs to be done. It’s just you and your estimation skills. Most of the time the lack of a story feels like the game is incomplete but not with this title. It works perfectly fine without any narrative as the purpose of the game is to have some plain, basic fun without much fuss.
Graphics
Estiman has some simple but nice visuals for you. The game consists out of the elements in the foreground and the image in the background. You can always change both of these sprites to something else, if you have enough credits collected at least. The combination of some of the graphics might work well, while others might give you a headache or make playing the game harder. For example, there is the possibility to select opaque colored blobs, having a certain hue of a color. Depending on the background you put behind it, the colors are barely visible and your attempt will probably be cut short as you’ll make mistakes faster. The simple graphics certainly work very well in this game, keeping the whole concept in mind. Pressing the screen will make the background ripple, moving apart the blobs and making it harder to estimate, giving some extra charm to the game.
Sound
Just as with the graphics, the sound is also rather simplistic but fitting. The tunes are soothing and will guide you to try and get the best score. If you were hoping for a variety of music, you’ll be disappointed. The same tune will play over and over, so the soothing effect might switch over to an innervating one rather fast. Some sound effects are there to make it all a bit immersive, but nothing too fancy as expected.
Gameplay
Estiman is an arcade game where you have to guess what color is the most present on the screen. That’s actually all that there is to it. There is one catch though, you have some time pressure. The further you get in the game, the faster the time goes down. You can build a buffer though, the faster you can select the right blob or shape, the more the time goes up. Wait too long though and time will count down faster than you’re able to say ‘Eureka’. The more blobs you can eliminate, the more combo points and other benefits you get. For example, sometimes some of the shapes have a coin inside and selecting these give you extra cash. This can be used to buy other backgrounds, other shapes or the two power-ups. The game provides two benefits for you to exploit. One will stop the time while the other one will remove the biggest available color on the board.
When you start the game, you first get some easy ones and the shapes flicker so you know which one to select. It’s a great way to ease in the game again and get ready for the real work. The further you get in the game, the more complicated everything gets. Depending on the graphics you’ve chosen, the difficulty can be different. For example, the shapes may differ or the colors might be mingled quite a bit. It’s important to try and not lose your cool. The further you get, the more points you can collect, which will give you a highscore and some credits for the shop.
That’s all that there is to it though, simple and easy. Great for some dull moments while waiting somewhere or if you want to give your brain some teasing in a gentle way.
Conclusion
Estiman is a game that will get your guessing going. The game is easy to pick up and you get some help at the start of a new attempt to get as far as possible. Both the graphics and the sound are simple and clean and although the gameplay is simple, it’s a fun game to play when you have some leftover time. If you’re looking for something interesting to play for a small fee, be sure to check it.
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