Where’s My Water? review (iOS / Universal)

♫ “And the water is piping hot
The water is piping hot
It beats upon my neck”

The menu is interactive. Tapping Swampy (the alligator) gives results such as this. Other obvious objects can be tapped too

10 word description: Help guide water to Swampy the alligator’s bathtub. 80 puzzles.

The green sponge stuff absorbs your water, but the purple liquid will remove the sponges ... Start digging!

10 word review: Way too much fun! Brilliant, highly polished water-physics puzzles.

There are 3 ducks to collect in each level. A certain amount of water has to flow over the duck in order for it to be collected

You will like this if you enjoy: Feed Me Oil, Sprinkle, Cut the Rope. Physics puzzle games that are more about having a good time than frustratedly smashing yourself in the face with a framed painting of Isaac Newton.

Ultimately, no matter how much water you have to use collecting ducks and operating switches, you always need enough left to fill Swampy's pipe and give him a shower

The good news: It’s complete genius. Finally I get to play a liquid-based physics game that doesn’t involve teeth-grinding rage trying to place fiddly, illogical objects or attempting to collect randomly splattering and unconvincing glop in precariously balanced containers. Based on my experiences in the first 20 levels of Where’s My Water?, none of the factors that ultimately reduce these games to a spiralling vortex of hatred (for me) appear to be present in this game. Getting beyond my slack-jawed amazement that someone (Disney, for F’s sake!) has managed to get a water-based physics puzzler so right, here’s a list of the stuff that makes it great: Graphics, animation, cartoon style water physics, puzzle elements, interface/control method, performance, theme, humour, collectibles, amount of content, overall level of polish, funny hidden stuff like the interactive main menu and the shower curtain (try it).

Colour-coded switches and associated moving platforms/doors are hardly original, but they work so well with the water that you're not going to care about any lapses in originaility

The bad news: Dumps from a great height on other similar games.

Collectible objects are uncovered by digging, often not where you would naturally dig to complete the puzzle

Arcadelife verdict: As soon as you start digging with your finger and watching how the cartoon water follows the little tunnels that you make, it is obvious that not only is this going to be a huge amount of fun, but also that a lot of thought and effort has gone into this game. Note how I said “cartoon water” a couple of times already – this isn’t about a photo-realistic and physically perfect water simulation with a half-hearted game tacked on, it’s a cartoon puzzler with convincing cartoon water that behaves exactly as you expect it to. Early hazards such as the toxic purple liquid (that also melts sponges) and the sponges that absorb (kill, if you like) your cartoon water are great puzzle elements that also seem completely logical in Swampy’s cartoon world.

In this level, the platforms are moving upwards. Some careful timing is required

It’s just a great game. If you’re tired of physics puzzlers, maybe even already a bit weary of liquid-based puzzlers, get this game, play through a few levels, and restore your faith in game designers and the ability of puzzle games to make you feel all special and clever when you manage to collect 3 ducks and give an alligator a shower.

Once you start, you won't be able to stop. I had to, to write this review. Poor old me

Arcadelife rating: 95/100

My growing set of collectible objects. There are also many achievements to be earned

Version reviewed by Arcadelife is 1.0.2

Disney / WmW? website link

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