Can’t Stop
Playdek brings the venerable Sid Sackson classic to 3D! Featuring a push-your-luck dice mechanic, this classic game pits up to 4 players in a race for the top!
Roll four dice to make pairs and start your climb to the top, but beware, the moment you fail to advance, you lose all progress! Next time, try to roll better! Rolling hot? You’ll earn Streaks!
How to play: Roll four dice and select from the pairs presented to place a “runner” on the numbered column. Subsequent rolls either add a new runner or advance a runner that’s already on the board. You only get three runners and when they are on the board, you must roll an advancing pair, fail to do so and you lose all your progress! When a player claims three columns, the game ends!
You Can Look Forward to Getting Hooked On:
- Beautiful 3d and animations
- Original Music and sound effects
- Up to 4 players: Single Player and Pass-and-Play Multiplayer
- Variable levels of AI
- Game Center Achievements
- Streak Meter
Store Links: (prices may vary)
- Can't Stop (universal) - $0.99
User Reviews (1)
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For me, the ideal board game app will give the same feel when playing as you get when playing the actual game. While the iOS version of Can’t Stop has you hitting a “roll” button instead of physically tossing the dice, it keeps the tension and push-your-luck feel of the analog version.
Game Play
This section is for those unfamiliar with Can’t Stop. If you know the game and are interested in my thoughts on the iOS implementation, skip to the next section.
Your ultimate goal is to complete three columns on the game board. Each column corresponds to the result of two six-sided dice (2-12). The more likely a number is to be rolled, the more spaces in that column. The first person to complete the column claims it, and no one will be able to use that number for the rest of the game.
You have three “runners” you may play each round. On your turn, you roll four six-sided dice. You have to make two pairs of dice. If you haven’t placed a runner, you place runners based on the values of the pairs. If you have placed a runner on a number, you advance them if you roll that number.
You continue rolling as long as you like, placing or advancing one or two runners each time, depending on the outcome of the dice. If you ever have a roll whether neither result allows you to advance or place a runner, your turn ends, and you gain nothing for that round (runners are removed and any pieces from previous rounds stay where they are). If you choose to stop rolling, you replace any runners with your pieces. Your pieces show where runners would start from on future turns. If you get a runner to the top of a column and end your turn, you claim the column.
iOS Implementation
The app feels quite close to the real game, which I was very pleased with. The fun of Can’t Stop for me is in the push-your-luck aspect of the game. I want to feel like my decision to keep rolling or stop is important, and that carries through for this version. You’re still racing against your opponents to claim the columns, and now you can do so against two levels of AI, and in a solo mode.
The graphics are pretty to look at, but my focus is typically at the bottom of the screen where the dice rolls are shown. I can’t comment on the music as I play without volume. I have heard some people are annoyed at the 3D animations, and circling lights (you can see these on the pictures above on the boardgaming.com game page). I don’t have a problem with them, though I wouldn’t mind being able to turn off the animation after a player claims a column. The piece will continue to jump up and down and do flips throughout the game, which is a touch annoying. Settings allow you to turn off music/sound, but not animations. In the end, I don’t really notice them, and I don’t feel they factor into my enjoyment of the game one way or the other.
Positives
– Solo (Time Attack) mode is fun. You see how quickly you can complete three columns.
– Two levels of AI, easy and hard, which do a good job of approximating opponents.
– Consecutive roll achievements. After all of your runners are placed, the game tracks how many successful rolls you’ve had. It’s great to see how many rolls you’ve had, and amazing to think you can potentially get to 33 (I think I’ve only reach 29).
Wish List
– I really miss rules enforcement for the variant game rules that come with analog game (you only get the base rules). Against humans, you can all just play how you want, but the AI won’t be governed by these rules. My favorite variant is where you can’t stop if your runner occupies the same spot as an opponent. There is no way to get the AI to do this.
– While you can play against three AI, they all have to be the same difficulty; you can’t have 1 easy and 2 hard, which seems odd to me.
– While Time Attack is a lot of fun, the game does not keep track of your best times, which surprises me.
Final Thoughts
Can’t Stop is easily one of my most played iOS games for my iPod Touch. It’s quick, easy to teach, and can be played when waiting at a restaurant, on the train, or wherever you have a few minutes to fill. The solo Time Attack is great, and addictive. The consecutive roll achievements will have you coming back for more.
When going back to the analog version, there is a little bit of a mental hurdle as you’ll have to start pairing your dice by yourself again. It’s really easy to get used to the game showing what your roll options are, so much so that you really don’t even notice the faces of the dice while playing, you just focus on your results.
Can’t Stop has been one of the best $0.99 I’ve spent for gaming (up there with Ticket to Ride: Pocket); so much so that I wasn’t upset when the game was free within a month of my buying it. If you enjoy push-your-luck games and are looking for a time filler on your iOS device, you should definitely give Can’t Stop a try.