Buddha Finger Review

The same cliche ran through my head as I played through Buddha Finger: "diamond in the rough." Capturing a silly Kung Fu style of gaming, Buddha Finger is certainly fun in the early stages and, while it outstays its welcome, the first half of the game alone is worth $0.99 for sheer entertainment value.

That's an unusual line to take, given how many games are criticized for their brevity but Buddha Finger does get quite repetitive after a certain point. Quitting while it was ahead might have been a wise idea. Invoking stylistic features and elements previously seen in titles such as Demons Score and Elite Beat Agents, Buddha Finger initially does everything pretty well. Deviating from being music focused, Buddha Finger is all about keeping on top of the strict time limit and requirements placed upon the player.

Things are mixed up pretty well alongside a loose but mildly charming storyline. At first, players just have to tap in order of the numerical circles displayed on screen. Other elements are gradually added such as lines to draw, circles to rotate quickly and numbers that require furious multiple taps to clear. Most challenging of all are the Twister style moments which require two or three fingers on screen at once. This is also where one of the more noticeable problems of Buddha Finger emerges, the iPhone screen is just too small for multiple fingers. Even small fingers such as mine.

After these gradual introductions of new things to do, Buddha Finger also falls into a predictable pattern that turns slightly repetitious. It's unfortunate given such a strong start. There's enough here to make Buddha Finger worth the asking price but it'd be a hard soul to not be a little disappointed at such early promise not quite following through.