Puckerz! Review

By , on February 16, 2011


Puckerz!
Download on the AppStore
4 out of 5

PROS

  • Flashy 2D graphics; neon crossbreed between pachinko and pinball machines.
  • Easy to master gameplay; fun despite its simplicity.
  • Varied power-ups to experience in each tier of levels.
  • Great music tracks to enjoy.

CONS

  • Lacking in depth; luck plays a key part in high scoring.
  • Progression limited to unlocking levels; no specific rewards for dedicated playing.

VERDICT

Puckerz! is a fast-paced casual title that pushes all the right buttons without requiring much concentration; a great way till chill out from more demanding games.


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Being a dedicated gamer can be tiring, not in the sense that it's physically demanding, but sometimes the long bouts of concentration can be draining. This is where casual games tend to fill the gap, providing a fun, mindless way to enjoy your spare time without the same demands that other titles expect of you. Puckerz! by Groundbreaking Games is like a breath of fresh air, providing gameplay that requires nothing more than your willingness to keep smashing shiny objects in an attempt to reach a high score.

Think of it like Angry Birds, but set in a pinball machine, with all the bells and whistles that are associated with it. Dragging back on your puck (of which there are seven designs to choose from) sets the power and angle at which you'll slide around the screen and you'll keep bouncing around until you run out of steam from breaking obstacles and collecting orbs or you fall victim to a trap. Time is added or subtracted depending on the success of your run and players can keep flinging their puck over and over until the time runs out. Each stage has a minimum collection amount to succeed, but bonus points are awarded for collecting and smashing everything within the time limit.

Power-ups help to speed up the process, though they're a double-edge sword that can result in wasting your time just as much as they can help in saving it. Bumpers, cannons and walls provide additional hazards that can extend or end your run, but Puckerz! isn't all about randomly succeeding and placing a small amount of thought in to your shot can result in some spectacular visual explosions (and points to match it).

If anything is missing from Puckerz!, it's a sense of progression via unlockable bonuses or perhaps unique pucks to signify the time/effort you've placed in to the game. This could also provide a launching point for game-changing effects that reward players for the time they've placed in to the game as there's little differentiation in the gameplay of the first and last levels besides the power-ups.

Puckerz! isn't going to revolutionize your gaming experience, but if you're after a fast, flashy game with little in the way of demands, this is for you.

Screenshots

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