Dropple Review

My brain hurts, my eyes hurt, and I'm stuck. No, I'm not trapped in a cave being forced to make a suit of armor for a terrorist organization, I'm playing level 40 of Dropple. Even worse, I was one coin away from beating the level when I finally lost, by millimeters. Disgusting.

Dropple, the app, is a reincarnation of the wildly popular Dropple, the online game. You start each of the 50 levels as a ball that wants to collect all the coins on the map. The problem is that the coins are all on tiny platforms, and different platforms have different characteristics. Some break when you hit them, some move, and some propel you to new heights. The one consistency is that you bounce off of them all like a rubber ball and there is no way to stop.

The key to the game is learning how to control your ball. Unlike the online version with its wonky keyboard movements, Dropple on the iPhone uses the accelerometer, which is the way that it was meant to be done. The accelerometer movement is very accurate in this one, ranging from touchy, quick movements to long throws, where you feel like you are actually launching your ball across the screen.

While all of the levels are well designed, the replay value is hampered by a lack of them. 50 levels may sound like a lot on paper, but after about an hour of play I was up to level 40, and am currently stuck. As I said before, I was one coin away from winning a few minutes ago, but that really doesn't do me any good. Once I finally beat it, and I will, I'll move on and eventually beat the game. The issue is that I will never ever ever want to put myself through having to beat these levels again. They were fun the first time, but a second would be tedious.

For the price though, Dropple is a very well made app that will keep you entertained until you beat it. Unless they add more levels, it doesn't have the everlasting replay value of some bigger games, but it is definitely worth playing if the genre suits you.