Toysburg Review

Developer: Angry Mob Games
Price: FREE
Version Reviewed: 1.0.0
App Reviewed on: iPhone 5

Graphics / Sound Rating:
Gameplay Rating:
Playtime Rating:
Replay Value Rating:

Overall Rating:

It’s the vibrancy and colorfulness of Toysburg that will grab your attention, first of all. At times it looks like a well-drawn cartoon has come to life. It’s immediately obvious that it’s a game keen to appeal to the young and the young at heart, and that theme continues as you play. It’s not quite as good as appearances suggest, but it does hold appeal nonetheless.

Your task is to construct toys to keep children happy. These are magical toys that transform and give children special powers at times, thereby solving their conundrum. These are typically simplistic but kind of charming - like an early mission involving you creating a mummy so a child has toilet paper for the bathroom. You build such toys by collecting blueprints and physically slotting the pieces together, attaching arms, legs, and so forth.

What this comes down to is a twist on the free to play, timer heavy mechanic. There’s a lot of going back and forth, following quest lines rigidly in order to complete your tasks. Initially, you can only walk around, slowing the pace somewhat, but a speed boost and eventual scooter or skateboard helps here.

At times, it can be a little confusing to keep track of what needs to be done. There are also issues where even though you own a blueprint, Toysburg wants you to buy a slightly different one. Soon enough, you’ll find yourself having to wait things out a lot too, or be lulled into an in-app purchase.

Despite such issues common to the genre, Toysburg is still kind of fun. While you might end up completing similar tasks after a time, Toysburg’s colorful nature and storytelling goes a long way in encouraging you to forgive it. At least for a little while.