Written By: Daniel Scott

aCleverTwist.com releases a twist on a few classic arcade titles rolled into one game!

Popper! ($1.99)

As we all know, the App Store is over saturated with mediocre, below average, or just plain disgusting apps.  I ran across aCleverTwist’s website (I can’t recall how) and checked out the selection.  It’s not a huge library,(only this one is available in the app store right now). But as I have told the developer, it’s how she presented her apps and website that got me interested in reviewing the game Popper!

Social Networking. Important?

Since I am on Twitter for the most part during the day and during work.  Yes my friends, I am paid to surf Twitter and post internal articles and stuff related to what the company I work for distributes.  So out of all the employees, I have access to all the popular social networks, while on the clock.  As the Twitter followings were exchanged, I asked for an invitation to her Google Group PLUS Facebook.  It made a huge impression on me and what this developer has accomplished.  As we know, you can’t just sit there and wait for the downloads to happen, you have to get out there and do some self promoting. Nothing wrong with that!

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Presentation

Popper! is super clean, not too far over the top, but have just enough elements and design techniques to make this look fabulous.  It doesn’t look rushed, it’s not plagued with any control obstructions, a simple idea kept simple.  As I first looked at this game, I immediately thought of Mike and Ike’s Candy. Great looking graphics on a wooden background.  This is a sharp modern twist on more than a few arcade classics.

Gaming Cross-Reference

Yes it’s a new section, I find myself comparing to what I have played in the past.  So I will make the best of it and keep it isolated from the review.  The game is a mixture of Dr. Mario, Bust-A-Move, Super Collapse and an old game called MegaMania on the Atari 2600.  The last reference is strictly game play and a dead match with the movement on the 2nd level.  She mentions Tetris on the itunes page but it’s not as rigid in my opinion, the Tengen version or NES/SNES version.  To solidify that remark, you don’t see the next pill you shoot on deck.  That was my crutch in Tetris.

Game Play

The object is to shoot up a single pill or piece of candy to the same color to eliminate them and clear the level of all the pieces.   Only two buttons to deal with, one to rotate the pill and the other to fire.  As you are planning your strategy, the clock is ticking, the pills are getting closer to the dreaded die line, thus ending your game.   As the difficulty increases, it tends to get out of hand fast.  Here’s the best part, by tilting the iPhone, you can change the direction, speed up or just about stop the floating pills from moving to get a better, accurate shot.

Ok, enough of the sunshine.  The game is stinkin’ HARD!  I still can’t get past the 2nd level, I’m slipping at my gaming skills!   It is a challenge and a tough one to unlock any further levels.  It sounds as if I am in need of practicing some more, and I will be because it’s a lot of fun to play.  Yes it is addicting.

One side note, you have to VERY accurate because the pills are sticky and not forgiving or allowing any over compensations.   So for those tight spots, rotate the pill length-wise and aim well.  If you don’t, the length of the pill will come back to get you since it’s twice as closer to the die line than the horizontal pieces.  Be warned

The Cons

My only con is on the die line.  If I am firing a pill to a same color and it’s close to or just above the die line, I should be able to eliminate it without causing my game to end.   If you need a visual reference, please google Taito’s Bust a Move.  I owned a Neo Geo at one time and recall defeating my wife at head to head win 3 match. I was on the ropes for longer than I wanted to, the bubbles in this case were hugging that line, and I was able to destroy 3 or more while my stack was that close and my firing bubble was under the line and they disappeared still.  I’m whining, I know I am, but it should clear both pills since they are consider eliminated from the play field. That shouldn’t end my game

Dare I say possible difficulty settings?  If that’s the case then make it harder as well as easier.

Lastly, the developer already embraces Twitter and Facebook, I think global high scores and a way to publish them on the facebook site and their own profile is a good idea.   If I recall the BurnBall developer has a strong following and started that whole tribe wars thing.  So I know it’s possible to create some extra elements to get more life out of the game.

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Conclusion

Once again, it’s better to support the independent developers, and this one is a gem you can’t pass up. Check out the app and her website, again it’s worth looking into