Fibble Review
PROS
- Cute and unique presentation.
- Pick-up-and-play simplicity; drag to flick, tap to activate abilities - the complexity is in its puzzles.
- Clever level designs; dynamic difficulty based on the medal you set out to claim.
CONS
- Touch detection problems; often fails to respond to light taps.
- Limited amount of content; easy to complete - lacks replayable elements.
VERDICT
Fibble is cute, fun, unique, but ultimately a safe casual entry from a developer used to pushing boundaries; with more content under its belt and a tweak to fix control concerns, it could easily become a must-have for your gaming collection.
- Full Review
- App Store Info
Crytek, better known for developing 3D game engines that push computers to their limits, have finally dipped their toes in to the casual gaming scene with Fibble. I say casual because it has all the hallmarks of a relaxing puzzle title, from it's excessively 'cute' presentation; simple drag and tap control scheme; and relatively limited amount of content... however it's anything but a simple game.
You play as Fibble - a rubbery, bouncy alien attempting to find his crew and repair his ship after crash-landing on Earth. He's also extremely tiny, which means his journey around a single house is no easy task. Thankfully reuniting with crew members will add to your ability to navigate each map, providing a puzzle element for the player as you determine where the additional crew are to be placed.
Fibble's primary goal is to reach the exit in as few flicks as possible, with the best scores requiring a single flick instead of the three available to you. Each level begins the same way - after placing down crew members on the limited amount of spaces available, you drag back on Fibble to launch him, tapping the screen to activate abilities that will cause you to bounce, change direction or speed up considerably. Unfortunately at this time there is a problem with the game detecting single taps - this can be overcome by rapidly (or forcefully) touching the screen, but it can pull you out of the moment when you're having fun.
And having fun is exactly what you'll get from attempting to pull off the gold medal 'single flick' runs as you need to plan out your route carefully to ensure every nook-and-cranny of the platforms you're on are scoured for scrap metal and stars. Some may even contain a key, unlocking bonus levels that ramp up the challenge considerably thanks to limited resources and multiple misleading anchor points for crew members.
While there aren't all that many stages to complete at this time, Fibble is a blast thanks to its beautiful presentation and cleverly designed levels that naturally scale in difficult depending on the goal you set for yourself. It's definitely aimed at a broader, younger audience, but once it has more content under its belt, Fibble will be an easy game to recommend for everyone.
Screenshots
$0.99
