Full Review

The cute purple blobby thing-a-ma-jig named Puddles finds herself in a series of lab experiments. What they are trying to test is beyond me but the point is that as the player you need to guide Puddles through a series of rooms, eating gems, floating on water, avoiding spikes, and reaching the portal.

The game has two methods of leading Puddles to safety. On land, rotating the iPhone will roll Puddles in that direction or make her fall to a new surface. Rotating also changes the water if the level contains it. When Puddles hits water (joke!) you can drag her along the surface with your finger (as well as use your finger to move certain blocks in the stage). One thing you'll notice after a few levels is that while the physics of the world feels a little odd, they doesn't feel wrong. Especially in physics puzzle games, getting the feel of how the objects in the world react to inertia, impact, and each other can be the difference between a fantastic play and an out right dud, so it's a definite plus that things feel that they work how they're supposed to here.

Visually the game gets by with a simplistic, cartoony look, with Puddles being a very cute protagonist. Where things shine are the sound effects, adding personality and an endearing quality to the character. If you don't feel bad when Puddles hits a spike or drowns, there might be something wrong with you. The game contains a host of levels, each with three gems to collect, and said gems being used to unlock the higher difficulties and even some mini-games, so you'll be playing for a while at least.

If you're looking for another game to keep you busy in the genre of Physics Puzzlers, Puddle Puzzles will not steer you wrong. The game is charming, features some interesting level design, and until you hit the later levels, is quite low on frustration. A unique and solid entry.

App Store Info