Supertype
A new kind of word game
$1.99 From Philipp Stollenmayer, kamibox.de/supertype Made for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch Needs iOS 8.0 or later
Supertype is a puzzle game that uses the power of letters. The levels are designed minimalistically, and it is up to the player to work out how to use the variously shaped letters in the English alphabet to collect the small square dots in each level. Perhaps it’s about rolling an O down a gentle slope, or maybe it’s a more complicated setup where a P falls over to set off a domino effect with a bunch of lowercase Ls.
Supertype is free of frills — no in–app purchases, no timers to wait for, no ads to unlock new content. Some levels require you to merely touch the goal, while others have more than one, requiring you to touch both at the same time. There are also levels that have letters already written in, which need you to draw a single line to make the level work, which are particularly difficult. By far the hardest levels, though, are the ones where the goal seems nearly impossible — perhaps it’s under a block, and to reach it means hooking a C onto something and use it as a catapult for an E that’s been pushed by an R falling over.
You may find yourself looking at letters differently once Supertype gets its hooks into you: suddenly, the letter I is just a circle on top of a post, which can be knocked off with a well–placed M, or you may realize that a Y lying down is just the right shape for an O to use as a ramp. It might ruin words for you forever, but at least you’ll have fun while doing it.
the bottom line. Supertype is a brilliant yet simple puzzle game that reimagines the alphabet.