Tetryon, a stylish new puzzle game from Adam Wiggins, has been released in the app store. With a beautiful neon theme, a fresh and interesting rule set, and simple controls, this strategy-based game will quickly hook you with its terrific presentation.

There are three worlds with varying visual themes, with only the first unlocked from the start. Across these worlds are 60 levels of gameplay, each with a specific goal that must be met to move on. It places a great twist on match-3 games, requiring the player to fill up the board and clearing matching glyphs if and only if the third glyph is placed between the other two. This requires you to plan ahead and attempt to coordinate piece placement, spacing out the glyphs to maximize your option. Later levels introduce new elements such as chaining glyphs to increase your score when you eventually remove a matching set of three. The levels start out quite easy, but begin ramping up the difficulty within a few levels. Level design quickly becomes a factor, too, as certain spaces will be blocked out, forcing you to set up your matches in increasingly more confined areas. Special glyphs called volatiles are incorporated to assist in clearing out poorly-placed pieces. One level introduces holding spots (think Freecell) to save glyphs for later use. Each level seems to bring something new to the table. We’ve really enjoyed our time with the game thus far and look forward to the challenge of future levels. There are a total of 75 distinct glyphs and 10 different volatiles for tons of unique pieces.

The graphics look terrific, as the neon theme really pops on the iDevice. When glyphs are matched for removal, they expand and flash into obscurity in a pleasing manner. The level designs look interesting and the overall game presentation is very polished. Sound effects are fun and add great character to the game. Controls are simply drag-and-drop and work flawlessly. There is a nice tutorial explanation with visuals at the start of the levels to show you exactly what to do. We have been very impressed with all aspects of the game.

Tetryon Pros:

• 75 distinct glyphs and 10 different volatiles for tons of unique pieces
• Awesome graphics -- overall game presentation is very polished
• Sound effects are fun and add great character to the game
• Controls are simply drag-and-drop and work flawlessly

Tetryon Cons:

• No global leaderboards or achievements

Replay value is great, as the gaming experience is very enjoyable and there are always opportunities to improve your scores. We would love to see global leaderboards and achievements added in a future update, as this game screams out for comparison among players. We found the game mechanics to be fairly unique, as it seems to take aspects of several different types of games and mashes them into something fresh and fun. Currently, Tetryon is enjoying an introductory price of $1.99, though its regular price will be twice that. For all that it offers, Tetryon is truly a 5-Dimple hidden gem.

Tetryon gets our AppSmile 5-Dimple rating: