**UPDATE** The new 'Skilled' mode definitely adds a much needed sense of challenge; while the improvements in jumping and movement may only be tiny, however the game is feels easier to control. These changes have definitely brought this game back in line and even thought it's still a generic platformer, it's a change for the better and a huge boon to fans of Shadow Candy.

Based on the ongoing comic series 'Shadow Candy' available in the App Store, 'SUGAR RUSH!' is a generic platformer that hopes to make the most of its semi-popular franchise. This isn't a terribly new move, with the 80s and 90s being littered with media-crossover platformers, but with so few meeting critical acclaim it's no longer a popular idea.

And it's not hard to see why, with Shadow Candy: SUGAR RUSH! utilizing platforming physics that feel plain awkward. The controls are easy enough to master, with d-pad controls to move left and right and two buttons to attack and jump. However, additional features like double-jumping, wall-climbing and slowly increasing running speed feel like they've been added in because they can rather than to add a real challenge to the levels. There are candies to collect, but they only act as a distraction for completionists and while there are enemies and weapons to defeat them, they're so rarely a challenge as to question why they eve2.n exist.

What makes SUGAR RUSH! so disappointing is how such generic platforming is paired with such a brilliant art-style. The environments are cute and stylish, with clean, colorful designs that really pop out in every location. The character designs are simple, but animated well and a further shame that many fun enemies can easily be overlooked.

Shadow Candy: SUGAR RUSH! is a great idea that hasn't quite come together. While the visual appeal of the Shadow Candy comics hasn't been diminished, the platforming gameplay definitely needs more tweaking.