Our friends at Concrete Software have made a number of fantastic apps for Windows Mobile and the iPhone/iPod Touch (and I am told their apps for other platforms don’t suck so bad either, though I have never tried them.)  So, I was pretty excited to give their latest game, Nintaii a try.  Hit the jump to see what I really thought.

Right off the bat, you know you are in for something special and different, I mean, how many games do you know with this many vowels in a row?  Unlike many Japanese puzzle games, Nintaii is not a numbers-based game.  Instead, this is a puzzle game, along the lines of Sokoban.  Essentially, each of the 100 levels consists of a small maze composed of connected squares.  One of the squares is open, this is the exit hole.  Your goal is to get a block to slide into the exit hole.  To do this, you can flip the tower end over end, or roll it through the maze.  In order to get it into the square, you need to flip it up, so it is standing directly over the open square.  It will then fill the hole, progressing you to the next level.  But watch out for switches, road blocks, narrow paths, and other obstacles standing in your way.

The game features 100 levels, and what I really liked was that you can play them in any order.  While the difficulty level will increase as you progress to the higher levels, they do not necessarily build on one another.  This means you can just head on over to the level selection screen and play any of the 100 levels you wish.  If you look at the level selection screen (above), it will even give you a green check on each level you complete.  Boy do I have a long way to go.

The best thing I found about this game, however, was the controls.  You can choose to take advantage of the fantastic touch screen to flick your tower around the screen, or use the accelorometer to control the tower by tilting the screen.  Either method works great, and offers smooth and fluid animation.

There is even a tutorial to help you get started.  Though, to be honest, I doubt you will need it.  This game is really pretty self explanatory.  But if you feel you need another reminder of the rules, just activate the tutorial in order to get a quick reminder of the rules.

I have always been a fan of puzzle games, and I was thrilled to see that Nintaii certainly did not disappoint.  The controls, especially the tilt controls, give the game a whole new dimension.  And with 100 levels, each offering its own challenges, this is sure to find a place on your iPhone or iPod Touch for quite some time.

Concrete Software Nintaii is available from the iTunes App Store for only 99 cents (normally $2.99).  There is also a lite version which offers 5 levels for free.

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