2 Games from Astraware Review

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I’ve always been a big fan of Astraware.  As a former Palm Pilot user I can remember playing Bejeweled on my IIIc.  It’s been a long time since the days of Palm games and Astraware has come a long way since the introduction of Bejeweled.  They’ve turned a blockbuster handheld game into a mega-gaming company with tons of popular titles.

When Astraware asked if I’d be interested in reviewing a couple of their games for the iPhone and iPod Touch I jumped at the chance.

Today I’ll be reviewing their latest game for the iPhone and iPod Touch, Bubble Babble as well as one of their more popular titles for the same platform, Platypus.

Bubble Babble

Challenge your word power with this undersea bubble-bursting brain teaser! Link together letter bubbles to form words and impress Wordsworth Smartygills – your friendly fishy host! Bubble Babble includes a fun interactive tutorial to teach you how to play with the bubbles and make words from them. Score points for each word you make. Impress Wordsworth with more complex or unusual words and he’ll reward you with shiny shells for your collection!

Bubble Babble has 4 entertaining play modes which are perfect for both adults and children, for all levels of skill or vocabulary.

I’m a big fan of word and puzzle games and Bubble Babble doesn’t disappoint.  It’s a fast paced game with vibrant colors and great graphics.  It features four different modes of play.

When you open the game you are presented with the main menu.  The four different game types are shown.

Challenge – you must create a set number of word in a set amount of time.  Target – recreate words that have been jumbled.  Mystery – search for the hidden word.  Or Freeplay – just make word to improve your score.

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When you first launch the game you’re asked if you’d like to run the tutorial.  If you choose not to it can be accessed again later from the game’s main menu.

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The object of the game is simple.  You’re under the sea.  As bubbles containing individual letters begin rising to the surface you must form words that the game recognize out of the letters.

You must move quickly before the bubbles rise to the top of the screen.

Using your finger you slide the bubbles around the screen joining them together or keeping them near the ocean floor for use later.

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Once you have a word you move it to the surface and are awarded points based on the number of letter used and the word’s complexity .  The more letters or the more unusual the word, the more points you receive.

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As you complete different stages in each game you’re awarded shells which are stored in your underwater treasure chest.

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The game’s options include the ability to turn on/off the sound effects and music and well as the Wordsworth character who helps you during gameplay.

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There are a lot of other fun features built into the game like the word of the day.  If you make the word of the day during game pay you’ll earn extra points.  There’s a wild card letter called Stella Starfish which you can use as any letter you choose to make words.

There’s also an annoying character who tries to interfere with your game by pushing all you letters around.

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Bubble Babble is a fun, fast paced word game that offers the challenge of four different game modes.  With cute characters it’s sure to appeal to fans of other popular word style games such as Scrabble, Bookworm, Wurdle or Chicktionary.

Bubble Babble requires iPhone software 2.0 or higher.

Bubble Babble is available in the iTunes App Store.

M.S.R.P. – Normally $4.99 but currently on sale for $1.99

What I like – fast paced, challenging game with four different modes of play.

What I don’t like – nothing.

Platypus

Your mission is to pilot your trusty Platypus and save peaceful Mungola! Fly across the squashy fields and trees, avoid the snowy mountains and protect your planet. Shoot down the enemy ships and marvel as they disappear in a splat! Collect fruit bonuses and a range of power-ups to aid you in your quest!

Platypus is a quick paced side-scrolling arcade shooter which is based on the cult classic for PC and Mac.

The main menu of the game is very simple.  You can get right into a game, view the game’s settings, see your high scores or check out other titles from Astraware.

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The settings allow you to adjust games sounds as well as the sensitivity to which the game uses the device’s built in accelerometer or you choose to control your ship using your finger.

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When you’re ready to start a game you can play alone or against a friend.

The latest version of the game adds the ability to play two player mode over a WiFi connection.  Now you and a friend can battle the enemy together.

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You also choose a level difficulty for game play.

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The game features 20 different levels of play and 4 world’s to explore.

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The game graphics themselves are made entirely of clay.  This offers a somewhat unique experience, especially when the spacecraft are destroyed.

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You use your device’s built in accelerometer to fly around the screen shooting and destroying the enemy spacecraft all the while earning fruit bonuses while doing so.

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Platypus reminds me a lot of the landscape shooting games I grew up playing.  Its simple format and fun clay based graphics make it an enjoyable game to play.

Platypus requires iPhone software 2.2.1
There is a free lite version which lets you try out the first level of the game as well.

Platypus is available in the iTunes App Store.

M.S.R.P. – $4.99

What I like – clay based graphics are unique, simple controls and old school style game play.

What I don’t like – somewhat repetitive.

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