Old Man Mobile Game Review: Stack by Ketchapp

Old Man Mobile Game Review Stack 2017 images

Old Man Mobile Game Review: Stack by Ketchapp 2017 images

Each week I’m going to treat you older folks to a new mobile game review. By older folks, I mean people who pay their own car insurance and don’t need other humans to wake them up in the morning.

Why I chose this title:

As with most mobile games, my main focus is to strive for simplicity. I don’t want to overload my Jurassic iPhone nor my T-rex brain with heavy graphics or complicated gameplay.

“Stack” looked to be one of the easiest games I’ve ever downloaded. Think Tetris and Q*bert.

If you can tap the screen of your smartphone and have any semblance of hand-eye coordination, then you can play Stack, at a high level hopefully.

stack game

Time spent on the game:

I downloaded this one over a week ago and have spent about two hours on it total. Stack is great for times when you’re not busy for a minute or two at work.

I also found myself playing the game while hanging out in my new Eno. It’s a super relaxing game that goes right along with chillin’ in a hammock outdoors.

stack game easy play review

Ease of play:

The concept of the game is much like Tetris. Instead of guiding falling shapes into the right slots, it’s even more basic with Stack.

All you need do is time your screen tap just right in order to line up sliding blocks with the one below it. The point is to build up the blocks as high as possible.

When you don’t time it right, the blocks get chopped off a bit, making it harder to get the next one perfectly situated. The more you miss, the narrower the blocks get, and the quicker your fingers must become.

Once you finally run out of block real estate, your last block topples off your artsy little structure. You then see what you’ve created with the blocks you did manage to stack neatly.

The minimalist design of Stack is appealing to me. The colors and sounds are awesome in a “find your flow” kinda way.

stack game restart images

3 Tips from this guy:

– Counting as you get perfect alignment of the blocks seems to help keep momentum up.

– The soothing chime of a perfect fit seems to make it easier to find a rhythm. However, once you reach the streak needed to widen your foundation, the sound of the block sliding can distract you. That causes the streak to be broken for me way too often.

– Careful not to tap near the bottom of your screen while playing. You’ll eventually accidentally tap an ad in the free version, causing you to screw up your flow.

Time consumption:

There’s no ball and chain with Stack. You never find yourself in a long drawn out campaign. After all, you’re just stacking blocks, not building a damn army or fortress to wage war against a million other players online.

stack game review images android

Fun factor:

Don’t get me wrong; this game is fun. It just isn’t something that will get you fired up to tell your friends how you’ve been dominating.

It’s more relaxing than fun.

I do want to keep upping my record, which is not that impressive currently. But most of all, I like the feeling of “flow” the game gives off.

The little “chime” I hear when I get my timing just right gives me the feeling of momentum. Of course, that gets wrecked the moment I become conscious of my flow.

$$ spent on in-app purchases:

Zero of course. Thankfully this game doesn’t harass me to buy anything.

Download or Ditch:

If you’re only into games that get your blood pumping, then Stack may not be the one for you.

It’s laid back. It’s made to play, just for the sake of play.

It’s not intended to give you bragging rights or even to unlock a mystery or solve a puzzle.

This title is for those in need of a break from the fast-paced world. It’s a mobile game you could take to a Buddhist temple or on a hiking trail and not feel bad about it.

The game fits right in with finding some quiet time in your own head.

Let me know if you decide to download and what you think. Don’t mention your high score if it’s above 53, please.