Color Switch: Challenges

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My kids and their friends are gamers. And by that, I mean they enjoy playing all sorts of video games. From chatting with other parents, I’ve realized that older children tend to prefer console games. If you’ve spent $60 a pop on too many PS4 or Xbox titles, then you know what I’m talking about. Thankfully, it seems that most younger kids are into free games. While we may not enjoy in-game purchases and/or advertisements, free-to-play is a welcome idea. Color Switch: Challenges is a free game, and there are actually no purchases necessary (or even available, for that matter). Better yet, there are no in-game ads, either.

Color Switch: Challenges is a uniquely fantastic game for several reasons. Firstly, it truly appeals to all ages. The objective is easy to understand, the controls are enjoyably basic, and the game looks good, too. Secondly, Color Switch: Challenges is different every time you play. Here’s how it works:

Each gamer controls a colored ball. Clicking the mouse or tapping the screen moves the ball upwards. If untouched, the ball falls realistically, as if pulled down by gravity. Players must keep bouncing the ball upwards to avoid falling out of sight. But, several obstacles stand in between the start and finish lines.

Obstacles come in the form of multicolored circles, diamonds, and rectangles. Plus, every obstacle moves. Some spin, some slide, and others change size. Most of the time, players have to figure out how to move through the shapes. Passing through them requires touching matching colors only. Since the obstacles move constantly, it can be very difficult to avoid non matching parts.

The colors are completely random, which means there’s no way to cheat. Walkthrough videos will only help so much, because the timing will always vary. As such, I’ve found Color Switch: Challenges to be more mentally stimulating than other free games. It requires players to think, adjust, and actually learn as they play.

Color Switch: Challenges is new and readily available on Poki. However, it’s not the first of its kind. This game is based on Color Switch (without ‘Challenges’ in its name). The original game was one of the most successful mobile games of the past two years, with over 150 million downloads. Chances are, your children might already be familiar with Color Switch. If they are, I still recommend giving the Challenges edition a try.

This new version of the game is much more focused than the original. Challenges are essentially small puzzles. In this game, players won’t spend hours doing the same thing over and over. Instead, they will work on manageable puzzles. Getting past three obstacles at a time is encouraging and fun. It’s not daunting, and it’s far less frustrating than trying to beat an impossible-to-reach high score.

Color Switch: Challenges bridges the gap between arcade and puzzle games, providing plenty of entertainment for younger and older kids. It’s great for parents, too—whether you’re a savvy gamer or just want to dabble in the fun.