Kill the Plumber World review

Developer: Teki Town

Price: $2.99
Version: 1.0.2
App Reviewed on: iPhone 5

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Kill the Plumber is a puzzle game where players try to kill a plumber stalker and prevent him from reaching his princess prey. If you're thinking this sounds a little familiar, it's because the entire game is kind of a parody of the Mario games.

The anti-platformer

The main goal of any given level in Kill the Plumber is to thwart the hat-wearing hero as he tries to advance through any given stage. At first, you'll be taking control of a goomba-like creature in some straightforward scenarios, but soon enough, you'll be playing as other enemies that emulate Thwomps, Boos, and other classic Mario enemies.

Sounds kind of easy

While taking out the plumber isn't always the hardest task on any given level, there are additional ways that Kill the Plumber ups the challenge factor. The primary way this is done through having a star-rating for every level that is tied to time, so you'll have to perfectly execute levels to earn enough stars and open bonus areas.

The challenge also gets turned up in scenarios where the plumber is temporarily invulnerable, has a power-up (like a fire flower), or the specific solution is unclear.

So is it as good as Mario?

Even though Kill the Plumber has a clever premise, I'm afraid it has little going for it beyond that. The difficulty curve in is just too inconsistent - some levels are an absolute breeze while others are infuriatingly difficult.

On top of that, the game controls (which come in the form of virtual buttons) require just a little too much precision to execute maneuvers consistently.

More than these small issues though, Kill the Plumber has some inexcusable technical troubles. The game's save system doesn't always do its job, and - seemingly at random - the frameratewill drop down to unacceptable levels, which is frustrating in a game that requires precision.

The bottom line

Kill the Plumber is a neat idea that doesn't really execute creatively or technically on its premise. As a result, it feels like a pretty run-of-the-mill puzzle game with some significant technical problems.