I’m going to say something that will probably make you hate me: I despise Sudoku. Sure, it’s a great way to keep your brain active and youthful as you begin to age, but as a game…it’s not much of a diversion. I like a good puzzle as much as the next person, but Sudoku just feels too much like doing my math homework.

So when I heard rave reviews about the new iOS game Blendoku, I was torn. On the one hand, I take recommendations pretty seriously, and I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt. On the other hand, I was worried Blendoku would be as tedious as Sudoku. Let’s get to it, shall we?

What is it and what does it do

Main Functionality

Blendoku is a puzzle game that revolves around colors. Players must organize colors into the correct ascending order in order to beat each level.

Pros

• Huge array of free levels: 475 levels in all!
• Puzzles are available for all levels of difficulty
• Totally free and universal
• Levels can be played in any order!
• Perfectionists can strive for “Perfect!” badges, awarded when you make zero mistakes in a level
• You can learn right away at the end of each level if you are faster than the world average for the same puzzle

Cons

• Pretty much impossible to play if you have any form of color-blindness
• Some puzzles are too complex to be easily played on the iPhone–but you can play them on the iPad instead

Discussion

Like Sudoku, Blendoku is a game where you need to fill empty boxes using an innate set of logic. Instead of the numbers you use in Sudoku, you use various color swatches. Light colors go towards the left, with darker/more complex colors working their way towards the right.

Despite the inflexible nature of the color logic that drives the game, Blendoku offers a surprising degree of flexibility for players. You can play slowly and sedately in pursuit of the “Perfect!” badge, or play as quickly as possible to beat the world average or your own personal best. I also love that you can play the levels in any order you please: no need to unlock a level by beating the previous one.

The latest version of Blendoku (Version 1.1.0) makes the game easier to play on devices with smaller screens. The developers boast that the latest update features “dramatically improved touch selection and dragging” for devices like the iPhone and iPod Touch. I hadn’t played the game prior to this update, so I can’t speak to how much it has improved. I can say, however, that found it very simple to select my color swatch and drag it into place.

This game is so simple. Even if you aren’t an artist or designer, the average person has enough basic understanding of color theory to grasp the mechanics of the game from the get-go.

Conclusion and download link

You might have to be a special kind of person to truly enjoy Blendoku. Whether you’re obsessed with color matching in real life, or maybe just nursing a tiny case of OCD, this precise puzzle game is all about colors and attention to detail. If you’re a Type A personality, this game may just be the ultimate relaxation tool. I was surprised by how much this simple game, barely a puzzle at all, captivated me.

Price: Free

Version reviewed: 1.1.0

Requires iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch, iOS version 5.0 or later

Download size: 10.7 MB

Blendoku on Apple App Store