Blowup!! Review

Our Review by Jason Wadsworth on October 26th, 2011
Rating: starstarstarstarhalfstar :: BRILLIANT BOT MATCHING
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Take a matching game, juice it up with techno beats, fast-paced gameplay, some robots, and this is what you get.

Developer: Cravemob Co.,Ltd

Price: $0.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0.1
Device Reviewed On: iPhone 3GS

Graphics / Sound Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Game Controls Rating: starstarstarstarhalfstar
Gameplay Rating: starstarstarstarhalfstar
Replay Value Rating: starstarstarhalfstarblankstar

Overall Rating: starstarstarstarhalfstar

Matching games are prevalent in the iOS App Store, and there is no lack of inventive new takes on the genre. There are many games out there that have successfully blended the gameplay of matching games with elements of other popular genres. These type of hybrid games have become very popular as shown by the success of games like Puzzle Quest and Dungeon Raid. However, there are still very few matching games that focus solely on matching and do it well. Blowup!! is one of the rare exceptions here. The game is bright and fun, challenging and satisfying. Players that like matching games at all should not miss this one.

Blowup isn't a typical matching game. It's not find three similar tiles and line them up. By tapping grounds of like-colored blocks, players can eliminate them from the playing field. By strategically eliminating groups of blocks, player can create larger groups of adjacent, like-colored blocks. When a group of eight or more blocks is eliminated a meter is filled. This meter gradually drains, and when it is empty, the game is over. Players must continually build combos larger than eight blocks to keep the meter filled. As the game progresses, more colors are introduced and making large matches becomes more difficult.

The more blocks players have matched at once, the larger more points are generated. As matches of over eight blocks are made, the appearance of the blocks change and robot faces appear on the block. As the more blocks are matched to the group, the robot faces evolve to give the player a quick reference to just how many blocks are in the group at any given moment. This added visual element makes the game that much more fun and gives players even more incentive to create big matches.

There are three different modes and each mode has a distinct techno music track and a maximum score that players are working to reach. As players get closer to the maximum score more musical elements are added and the soundtrack becomes more complex, adding to the intensity of trying to quickly find and make matches to keep the meter filled.

The bright colors and fabulous visuals, the retro style and the chip tune music tracks all work together with the rock-solid gameplay to make Blowup!! one of the best matching games out there. This game should not be missed.

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