FreeDum Review
Price: $0.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0
App Reviewed on: iPhone 5
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When an insect has the audacity to scurry across our path, most of us will take a shoe to the little bugger without a twinge of guilt. FreeDum by Bulkypix is, therefore, a rare specimen in itself: its harsh puzzles drive players to feel sorry for its teeny ladybug protagonist. A single wrong move sends the insect to a pretty horrible death.
FreeDum's graphics are bright, personable, and reflect a lot of imagination. They're also disturbing for that very reason. There's no doubt Max is a brilliant, messed-up kid, and the worst part is there are actually kids like him out there. The player is reminded of Max's sadism every time Dum stumbles into a trap and leaves a smear of bug-blood behind. The bloodstain is permanent, so if the player is having a hard time with a level, the cardboard mazes begin to resemble the floor of a tiny slaughterhouse.
Players that take their maze/puzzle games very seriously will love FreeDum's brutal challenge, but its unyielding difficulty makes it a poor choice for kids. Then again, it's not as if the bloody bug-splatters that accumulate after multiple failures are as friendly as Crayola markings.