Monster Island Review

By , on September 30, 2011


Monster Island
Download on the AppStore
4 out of 5

PROS

  • Great control scheme.
  • Clever concepts are introduced slowly.
  • Walkthrough and skip level options for those stuck.

CONS

  • Most of the extras tied to in-app purchase.

VERDICT

Reminiscent of games like Angry Birds and Fragger, Monster Island shines as a serious contender in this genre.


  • Full Review
  • App Store Info

One has to wonder when the gameplay concept of flinging a creature across an oddly shaped level in order to destroy other creatures who are minding their own business becomes stale. It doesn't look like that scenario is upon us anytime soon however since Monster Island calls on the inspiration of Miniclip's earlier title Fragger to deliver a fun physics based flinger.

So it seems that there are some monsters enjoying the monster-y good life on their monster island. Then some monster thugs start creating havoc, so the monsters start lobbing mini monster bombs to clear their lands of these interlopers. Each level plays out as it's own mini puzzle. You are giving a certain amount of mini bombs to fling (a combination of five different varieties) and your goal is to clear the stage of these thugs. It might be as simple as rolling a mini bomb down a hill, or it might take some thinking, plugging holes with rock bombs, or attaching sticky bombs to moving surfaces to deliver the final blow.

The levels introduce new bombs and clever concepts involving physics slowly, and each level is never too difficult to figure out based on what has come before it. If you really are having a hard time however, you can view an in game video walkthrough of that level, or just skip it altogether. You start the game with a couple of these available, but more uses will have to be purchased in the game store. Each level has a three star rating system, and what star you acquire gives you a certain amount of coins. These coins can be used for purchases in the game store, or alternatively you can buy a large number of coins with real currency. As the additional islands and characters are all locked, you may find yourself spending more money on the game then you wanted to.

So with some great characters and animation, and a bucket full of content, Monster Island is a lot of fun. The concepts are introduced slowly and a lot of this use of physics puzzles is quite clever. The whole store concept is a little worrisome, but with so much content on offer, and the promise of more to come, it's understandable. For those who haven't tired of flinging physics based destruction, this is a must get.

Screenshots

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