Bean's Quest Review
PROS
- Streamlined controls; simply tap to jump back and forth across the screen.
- Clever level designs; inspires replays to gain all the available trophies.
- Fun retro aesthetic; colorful pixel art and Amiga-like synth soundtrack.
CONS
- Woefully brief; even with trophies eight levels is truly a teaser.
VERDICT
While not specifically old-school, Bean's Quest combines simple, effective controls with clever level designs to make a solid, if brief, platformer.
- Full Review
- App Store Info
Despite so many attempts, the platformer (at least in its most basic form) has only felt successful on iOS devices in a few select cases. What was once a genre you couldn't escape has become almost a risk to try and pull off for mobile devices. In order to get around some of the touch screen's quirks, Bean's Quest by Kumobius strips platforming down to its basic elements by taking control out of the players hands by making jumping completely automatic.
This isn't to say your character will simply jump when necessary, no, you're playing as a Mexican jumping bean and he'll simply bounce up and down constantly, meaning it's up to you to time jumps to platforms or across gaps or on to an enemy's head in order to make it to the goal. This isn't as difficult as it sounds and in fact getting to the end of a level can be extremely simple; what's far more challenging is conquering one of three potential trophies available for each level.
Despite having only eight levels currently available, you'll have to repeat them all at least twice, if not more in order to perfect the game. This is thanks to collectable objectives such as finding all the gems within a level; finding a lost pink axolotl; or attempting to finish the level in a set number of bounces. What makes it so much fun to keep coming back for more is the way in which tiny obstacles, traps and pitfalls make each of the specific trophies difficult to obtain, meaning you'll have to think outside the box on several occasions to get what you're after.
Pairing this sort of old-school simplicity with vibrant old-school pixel-art graphics and a 90's synth soundtrack is the icing on the already delicious cake...
Or is that more of a cupcake. While there is some replay value thanks to the trophies, it's still an incredibly short game that feels more like a demo of things to come rather than a complete title. If you don't mind being a little short-changed on content and you're after a fun new platformer, check out Bean's Quest.
Screenshots
$2.99
