Greedy Bankers (aka Spooky Bankers for Halloween) is an attractive and addictive coffee break puzzler. The idea is to move gems of different colours around the screen to form larger rectangular or square blocks which can then be clicked on and converted into hard cash. Hit the target cash total for the level within the time constraints and then move to the next.
Developer Alistair Aitcheson has taken elements from many classic quick puzzlers and combined them well for Greedy Bankers. Clear and precise controls help greatly as the game becomes fast and frantic, and the look and feel of the game is attractive and clear with a couple of well chosen music tracks to enhance the experience.
The game grid is initially surrounded by rubble and the gems in the centre can be moved around, grabbing with the left mouse button. When a group of four or more alike gems are placed together in a square or rectangle they can be “farmed” for cash. The larger the rectangle or square, the more money they accumulate, leading the player to consider building larger blocks to finish the level faster.
It’s not quite that easy though because new gems drop into place on a regular basis. Eventually rubble falls with the gems and the Greedy Robbers appear, trying to steal your gems. When you “farm” the gems, any rubble immediately adjacent is destroyed, freeing up more space or helping you out of some complex situations.
This is Greedy Bankers’ best point. Although the concept is simple, the gameplay can become a thoughtful experience as you try to build larger gems against walls of rubble to free up extra space whilst keeping a wary eye on the robbers. Every so often a gem or piece of rubble scuppers your plans or robbers get to the gem you were looking for mere seconds before you do. There’s really no time to curse though as you realise that time is ticking away and you need to plan your next action. Planning for the future can also help you progress quickly – but beware those larger, prized gems being stolen.
The Greedy Bankers experience is almost a little too short but, in the same way, this tempts you in for another game because you’ve got the time. Twenty minutes later you realise you’re still trying to beat your previous high score.
At time of writing the game is being developed for the iPhone/iPad and we expect the one thing missing from the PC game will be resolved, with league tables allowing bragging rights between friends or simply just the world. With this addition, and a slight tweak so the difficultly curve is reduced just a tad, Greedy Bankers is likely to be a sure fire hit on both those platforms.
As it stands, as a free download, it is highly recommended fun.
