Catch the Berry Review

Our Review by Stacy Barnes on November 4th, 2013

Rating:

:: A BERRY GOOD TIME

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Catch the physics-puzzle fever with a hot new challenge by Random House Digital. Catch the Berry is sure to grab players from the get-go with it's enticing strategy-dependent gameplay.

Developer: Random House Digital
Price: $2.99 (offers in-app purchases)
Version Reviewed: 1.0
Device Reviewed On: iPhone5, iPad3

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[rating:385/400]

Catch the Berry’s unique take on the physics-puzzler genre will definitely whet players' appetites and have them begging for more. 80 levels is just not enough for this extremely engaging game.

Help Huckle, an affable mountaineering berry harvester, collect magical berries and gems. Draw and erase lines strategically in order to roll, float, shoot, or teleport the berry into the basket. Gameplay usually starts by tapping the berry, with the exception of a few levels that start immediately. Lines can be drawn before the tap or after the berry is in motion, and players can use the eraser to erase the last line drawn. The goal is to collect all three gems along the way to Huckle’s basket.

Progressive levels serve up exciting new obstacles such as prickly plants, spiny caterpillars, tree branches, rotating metal spikes, and triggered gates just to name a few. Avoid these trajectory hindrances with clever line-drawing, bumper bouncing, fan floating, and bubble riding. There is no time to get bored and no way to “nail it.” Catch the Berry is a multi-tasking puzzle phenomenon. Solving each level definitely takes a trial-and-error approach, but this is part of the lure of the game. Finally figuring it out is such sweet satisfaction!

An in-app purchase of $1.99 allows all levels to be unlocked. For those with instant gratification issues (ahem), that might be all too tempting. Otherwise, progress through the Berry lands level-by-level, and earn it gem-by-gem. Stuck on level 17 for too long, though? Use the skip this level option and come back later. Otherwise, the cleverly constructed puzzles are enough to incite minor madness.

Games like these aren’t complete without a little competition. Social integration allows players to challenge friends and check their status on the Game Center leaderboards. Certain achievements earn points for those essential Facebook boasts. This one is another "can’t put it down game." The challenges are downright devilish. The characters are cute, and the music is lively. No faults found. Players may enjoy at their own risk.