Stem Stumper from developers Ananse Productions is a puzzle game that is unlike any other you may have heard of. It has a unique distinction of being one of the few games that have been developed for gamers who are sight impaired. That means that if you are blind or have trouble seeing in general, Stem Stumper can be played thanks in part to its unique “sonar” mode that makes use of audio cues while you play.

The objective in Stem Stumper is to get your plant, Mimea to grow in order to reach the bag of fertilizer hidden in the level. To do so, you’ll have to bypass obstacles and destroy anything that is in her way. Stem Stumper can be played in one of two ways. If you are playing this game traditionally by using sight, you tap around the screen until you find what you are looking for. Playing this way isn’t hard at all and may actually be too easy. The second way to play Stem Stumper is to use the audio cues only. You can either use audio cues in normal mode or in sonar mode where the whole screen turns black. As you tap around the screen, the audio in the game changes. The music gets louder as you get closer to what you’re suppose to be looking for When you finally tap the area you are looking for, an audible alarm goes off. It’s a different alarm for different objects. It works quite well.

The question here is, can you play the entire game blindfolded? The answer is yes. The core game itself you can play blindfolded with no problem. However, instructions are still written in text so if you are blind or having trouble seeing, you won’t be able to read the instructions that tell you what to do or how to play. You’ll need someone to explain it to you. But, it seems that if you go into your iPhone settings and enable VoiceOver in the accessibility section, the instructions will be read out to you. I’m assuming if you are sight impaired, you would have this setting already enabled, which I did not. Once this is enabled, you can play the entire game without looking as now, the instructions as well as all menu items will be read out loud to you. It will even tell you every detail about the game you are playing including how much flower power you have left and what items you are tapping on. With VoiceOver on now though, you have to double tap everything instead of just single tapping it.

Stem Stumper really is a unique game. The core game itself isn’t really that different from other games you might have played, but if you actually try playing it with your eyes closed and a good set of headphones, you might be surprised at how well “sonar” mode actually works. In fact, you can play all of the game without looking as long as you pay attention to the audio cues and have the VoiceOver enabled. I will say that Stem Stumper does deliver what it promises as a sight free experience and it is very possible to play the entire game 100% without looking.

Stem Stumper is available now in the App Store for $1.99. It is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 4.1 or later.