Bug Assault Review

By , on May 23, 2012


Bug Assault
Download on the AppStore
4 out of 5

PROS

  • Really simple and ingenious control scheme that the gameplay is centered around.
  • A high score game, but it's broken up into levels with boss battles.
  • Younger players will enjoy collecting the insect specimens.

CONS

  • The music grates pretty quickly.
  • Hefty price tags in the shop mean that grinding is required to buy the power-up weapons.

VERDICT

A clever little high score game about zapping bugs between your fingers. Plenty of crazy boss battles and challenges await.


  • Full Review
  • App Store Info

It's all out insect war! Well actually the insects are pawns used in a skirmish between birds and squirrel but the game is called 'Bug Assault' for a reason. With a set amount of health, can you eliminate the approaching hostile bug swarms while protecting the ladybugs? With your trusty bug zapper at the ready, you'll soon find out.

Bug Assault has an incredibly simple yet amazingly realized control scheme. Touch the screen with one index finger to create a zap point. Touching the screen with your other index finger will create a bolt of electricity that zaps between your fingers. A line of bugs lined up between your pointers will create a combo and boost your high score. There is a catch however. Any Ladybugs you kill will be to the detriment of your own health, so the game becomes a dance of avoiding the Ladybugs while creating lines around them to zap as many of the other insects as you can. Certain bugs can be tapped on to create bonus swarms or to regain health, but the culmination of this mechanic comes in the boss fights, each with their own gimmick that you have to work out and overcome to reach the next stage of play.

Any bug that you come into contact with or kill gets jarred over at the insectarium, adding a collection element to play that should interest younger players. The money you get from playing the game can also be used on additional weapons that can assist you during play. The Tesla coil, fly swatter or gas canister can give you that extra edge you need, and be upgraded... but that's attached to the in-app purchase model. Gaining cash is pretty slow, so if you want these weapons, you're probably gonna be forking over real money for them. It's not so bad as they're not really needed if you have the skill, but they are fun to use, and it certainly feels like a misstep.

So with its colorful buggy characters, inventive control scheme and ever-increasing difficulty punctuated with boss battles, Bug Assault is definitely worth a look. No guarantees on whether it might cure folks who are terrified of insects, but it certainly couldn't hurt.

Screenshots

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