Bouncy Bug review (iOS / Universal)

♫ “Everybody now… Doing the bed bug bounce”

10 word description: Action game, flexible liquid environments, trampoline style, dynamically generated graphics.

10 word review: Flinging control takes some practice; polished and fairly good-looking.

That big floating blob of black glop isn't really helping

You will like this if you enjoy: Casual, blob-flinging games (come on, this is a well known genre, right?). Games where you don’t have direct control over the main character, but manipulate the environment to influence its movement.

Now I've almost collected all the fruit... If only the time ran out a bit slower

The good news: Dynamically generated levels mean that each game is different in appearance and challenge from the last. The tapping/flinging game mechanic works quite well – it’s arguably not that original (for an iOS game anyway) but it makes good use of the touch screen. Graphics are ok, considering that the environment is just a variable black space. Backgrounds and objects are colourful.

Bonus consumables are awarded for completing certain levels

The bad news:  I initially found it quite difficult to aim the bug/blob guy by tapping the floor and walls of the environment. Aiming accuracy is never 100% reliable. Time runs out quite quickly and it can be a bit frustrating to have your attempts to collect fruit thwarted by unpredictable launch trajectories and a rapidly ticking clock. I would prefer to be allowed to progress to the next level if a certain percentage of fruit had been collected, rather than the current scenario which is Game Over if even one fruit remains when the timer runs out. The use of consumable items completely breaks the flow of the game as it involves going into a pause menu, selecting the item and then resuming the game.

After a great run, this "insta-fail" level predictably ended my fun

Arcadelife verdict: Overall, it’s a well presented game that is slightly let down by the erratic difficulty spikes created by the dynamic levels and the aggressive timer. There’s nothing fundamentally wrong with the game, and it is fairly addictive despite the frustration factor, but it isn’t the most exciting game I’ve played recently. The “pause to select an item” method is just wrong. The dynamic levels are good for replayability but are also the source of some irritation when a virtually unbeatable level pops up unexpectedly after a run of fairly simple ones.

Nice pear ... huh huh huh

Arcadelife rating: 68/100

Version reviewed by Arcadelife is 1.0

Bouncy Bug website link

Arcadelife played and reviewed this game on:
4th gen iPod Touch (OS 4.3.5)
iPad (OS 4.3.5)