Review - Shrink It

shrink it is a flash animation puzzle game created by Newgrounds.com user nick (NPGames). The game's music is titled Moonlight ~P~ by Newgrounds.com user HalcyonicFalconX. This puzzle game was submitted to Newgrounds.com on November 28, 2009 and won a Daily 2nd Place award on November 30, 2009.

Gameplay

The objective of the game is to shrink and grow different shapes in each level to help get the blue smiley face to the white-shaded area. Click on objects to shrink them. When you shrink objects, you will gain "MASS". The amount of mass you gain is indicated at the bottom left hand corner of the screen. As the MASS bar goes up, you will be able to grow objects. Keep in mind that you cannot grow anything until you have some MASS, which can only be obtained by first shrinking objects. Grow objects by holding the spacebar while you click on the object that you wish to grow. You can shrink and grow almost anything, including the smiley face itself. In general, objects that are brown in color cannot be altered in size in any way. Once the blue smiley face enters the white-shaded area, which is a square shape with rounded corners, you will be able to move on to the next level. It should be noted that the blue smiley face needs to be in the shaded area a good amount in order to advance to the next level. Simply grazing the white-shaded area is not enough. A good portion of the blue smiley face actually has to be in the shaded area.

The bottom left hand side of the screen has the Menu, Retry, and music/sound toggle buttons. Click Menu to get back to the game's menu. Click Retry to start the current level over. If you get stuck, there is a walkthrough button at the top right hand side of the screen that will take you to a separate site for a video on how to beat the levels.

One challenge of the game is that the blue smiley face is not a circle. Instead, the smiley face is an octagon, making it less prone to rolling. It is also more likely to stop if it is rolling.
Beating this game in its entirety requires good problem solving skills, some degree of timing, and creativity.

Game Review

shrink it is a fun little puzzle game that will keep players entertained for a good amount of time. Each level is somewhat unique in its challenge, though it can feel repetitive. The game concept is interesting and is what hooks players in the first place.

shrink it scores a 8/10 for creative gameplay concept. The levels could be a little more diverse. Also, changing the music now and then would be nice.