Tinboy Joyride Mobile App Review

Download Tinboy Joyride for free on Android
Developed by Defcon Studio
Genre: Arcade & Action
MobileMush Reviews Rating: 4/10

No, this is not Jetpack Joyride although the name and idea is quite similar with Tinboy Joyride and by that I mean it is a generic runner mobile game.

I decided to give Jetpack Joyride a shot, I mean it was free and I saw a post about it on Reddit. So I checked it out on the Google Play store and it seemed to be alright. I normally like distance runner games so why not download it. Well, as you can probably tell from my buildup I was slightly disappointed...actually scratch that, a lot disappointed.

Tinboy Joyride is just not a polished game...at all. You are thrown into the game really with no start screen or anything, I tapped my screen at what I think was the start screen and the character just started running. From there you eventually figure out that you are now playing the game and you just tap the screen to jump over obstacles and collect red and blue balls (points I suppose). However, while the graphics are ok looking, everything is disjointed and do not fit well together and also textures didn't seem to be working quite right. There are powerups in Tinyboy Joyride but again no explanation for anything and you just have to figure out everything on your own. There are goals on the right side of the screen like collect 20 red balls or 5 blue balls but again, no explanation. Playing Tinboy Joyride is really feels like being a fish out of water with no clue other than tapping the screen.

What is even worse is I could not find a pause or stop button unless you lose I suppose. I thought I paused the game or stopped it and I shut off my tablet only to come back five minutes later to realize the game was still going on and I hadn't died yet in five minutes... I promptly uninstalled Tinboy Joyride from my device and do not recommend it until it is more put together in a professional way.

Drop7 Mobile App Review

Download Drop7 for Android or Itunes
Developed by Zynga
Genre: Brain & Puzzle
MobileMush Reviews Rating: 8.5/10

If you follow my other blog, FlashMush Reviews, you'll notice I already did a review on Drop7 but decided I would kind of do a re-do and review Drop7 again for MobileMush.

So I love puzzle games yet I find that for the most part when it comes to mobile games I just don't find that many I like...or at least free ones. However, I discovered Drop7 a while ago from my girlfriend and I was instantly addicted. Gameplay is very simple and while the rules may sound complicated at first they really aren't and you will be playing like a professional in no time. How do you play, you may be asking? Simple, basically you have numbered disks on a grid playing field and you drop more numbered disks on top and beside the others. The number corresponds to how many disks need to be in a row or column to disappear kind of like in Tetris. So for instance if you have a disk with a 5 on it you need to have five disks in a row or column for that 5 to break apart. As disks break apart they can bust apart grey disks revealing numbers and also gravity kicks in and combos are possible.

Ok...So I know that sounds complicated and I warned you but really pick Drop7 up for yourself and you will see that with the in game tutorial it is really simple to pick up. Drop7 is a great example of a unique and minimalistic mobile game that is also super addicting!

Witch Wars: Puzzle Mobile App Review

Download Witch Wars: Puzzle for Android or Itunes
Developed by Com2us
Genre: Brain & Puzzle
MobileMush Reviews Rating: 8/10

Bejeweled really set the tone for match three puzzle games that you would play just to kill time or stress. As time has progressed many games have copied the Bejeweled formula and Bejeweled itself has really evolved into iterations like Bejeweled battle and blitz. The reason I'm talking about Bejeweled so much is that today's app review, Witch Wars: Puzzle, is one of these iterations of Bejeweled, but so much better.

What makes Witch Wars: Puzzle better than the classic Bejeweled in my opinion? Well it just has more going for it and more thought was put into it rather than just the classic and now boring idea of match three. Basically Witch Wars: Puzzle is an iteration of Bejeweled Battle and games like that where as you match your gems or other icons things happen to an opponent you are playing against whether it be a computer player or real life person. In Witch Wars: Puzzle this happens as you have various symbols you are matching up. Handcuffs which will freeze or lock up random icons on your opponents screen, swords which take away health from your opponents health bar, magic books which increase your magic bar which you can then use to cast spells (I'll touch on that more later), coins which increase money you can use between games and health potions which heal you. As you can tell a lot of things are going on.

So you probably get the ultimate goal of Witch Wars: Puzzle, to kill your opponent through matching swords and magic spells. Of course matching everything else helps in that ultimate goal either through helping you or hindering/annoying your opponent. Let me explain the concept of spells for a minute as well, one of the best things about Witch Wars: Puzzle is that you play as a witch who has three various spells and there are a variety of witch characters you can choose from each having different spell types, so you can pick a witch which spells best suit your playing style.

Now that you know the basics and controls of Witch Wars: Puzzle, it is time to mention that you can play against people online! Yes this is an online multiplayer game where you can destroy people from all over and boost your ego with your mad Bejeweled/Witch Wars: Puzzle skills. Overall, Witch Wars: Puzzle is a great breath of fresh air from stale Bejeweled app clones and really is worth playing!

Splice: Tree of Life Mobile App Review

Download Splice: Tree of Life on Itunes or Steam
Developed by Cipher Prime
Genre: Brain & Puzzle
MobileMush Reviews Rating: 8/10

Ever wanted to feel like a mad scientist? Messing with the human genome and making abominations? Well, in Splice: Tree of Life you do exactly that by splicing up various genes and creating new ones.

Honestly I'm up in the air with Splice: Tree of Life. There are a lot of good features and points that I like such as the general idea with splicing genes, rearranging them and duplicating them. I feel it is a pretty unique idea that hasn't been approached in this way before. I also like the presentation of it all and it is very professionally done and looks graphically stunning. Splice: Tree of Life also has tons of levels so for the price it is a great buy.

However, while the presentation graphically is borderline perfect I think gameplay wise it was lacking. For instance when you first load up the game after downloading it you are kind of thrown in automatically. No discernible tutorial, at least that I could find, so you are thrown to the wolves per say to figure out the game for yourself. This almost turned me off completely but through trial and error I eventually figured out how the game works which is honestly kind of weird and without explanation makes it even more weird and more difficult. Overall though Splice: Tree of Life is a beautiful looking and pretty cool and unique mobile game so if you love puzzles this is the game for you!

GYRO Mobile App Review

Download GYRO for free on Android and GYRO+ for $0.99 on Itunes
Developed by Vivid Games
Genre: Arcade & Action
MobileMush Reviews Rating: 8/10

You don't always need a really in depth game that draws you in with its deep storyline full of twists and turns, sometimes you just want a simple arcade game you can play for a few minutes at a time, or get addicted to and find yourself looking at the clock and its an hour later. This is the type of game GYRO is.

Simplicity really is best sometimes and GYRO is exactly that and only consists of a few elements. The first element is a pie chart type graphic divided into three colored sections which you can spin and rotate. Next, there are colored balls which fly towards your pie chart character. Throw some powerups in there and that is it. Of course I haven't stated the goal yet but you may be able to guess that. Basically the goal is to rotate the pie chart so that the colored sections on the chart hit the colored balls as they come into contact. If you miss and hit a wrong color than that piece of the pie chart fills up a little bit with darkness, if one section fills up all the way then it is game over for you!

So simple yet so fun and more importantly so much fun. The powerups I mentioned earlier are also thrown in to allow for even more fun and addiction as they prolong your gameplay. On top of all this there are extras such as unlockable color sets, a timed mode and leader boards. So much is packed in the little package that is GYRO and you will find yourself addicted in no time!

Osmos Mobile App Review

Download Osmos on Android or Itunes
Developed by Hemisphere Games
Genre: Arcade & Action
MobileMush Reviews Rating: 8/10

Looking for a peaceful and relaxing mobile app to play after a hard days work? Well... Osmos could be the game for you as I feel its meant to be relaxing but it certainly is a serious game that can provide some stress (at least for me).

I was drawn to Osmos as I love the concept for the game and have played various flash games with similar concepts that I really enjoyed. This concept is you start out a small cell or something and you can absorb or eat cells that are smaller than you and as you eat other cells you grow and therefore can eat more cells, etc. Simple enough concept but Osmos takes it to a whole new puzzling level and adds a lot of interesting factors and control schemes.

First off the control scheme is worth mentioning as it is fairly unique but is one of the biggest deciding factors on whether or not you will enjoy the game as it takes some getting used to it. So where most flash games that I've played with this concept has simple WASD movement, Osmos takes a more physics based propulsion system. You basically move by tapping behind or in front of you and you shoot out a small part of you (which does make you a smaller) and that force propels you forward. It is hard to control, slowish and kind of awkward, but if you keep at it you start to get used to it. Also the slow pace of it all can be fixed by a handy tool Osmos has where you can speed up or slow down time and the pace of the whole game which has its pros and cons which you can find out when you play.

Osmos is more detailed than most games with this growing gimmick and it does this by introducing some interesting ideas and putting you in more puzzle based situations. Examples of these puzzle based situations is sometimes you are put into a really small space and you need to figure out the right order of enemy cells to consume so you can be the biggest and win. Examples of the interesting ideas include a more solar system based model with a sun type object which affects gravity and you are sort of pulled  along in its gravitational field which you can edit the course of as you move. Overall, Osmos is a pretty gun game that while simple on the outside does allow for some complex situations, just need to get over the weird control system first!

Canabalt HD Mobile App Review

Download Canabalt for Android or Itunes
Developed by Kittehface Software
Genre: Arcade & Action
MobileMush Reviews Rating: 8/10

I know I'm pretty late on the Canabalt train but I just discovered that I had bought the HD version for my Nexus 7 with the latest Humble Bundle and although I've played Canabalt when it first was released as a free flash game, I decided to take a look and review the latest port to the Android (and Itunes) for the HD version.

So if you don't know what Canabalt is about it is regarded as one of the biggest pioneers of runner or distance games as I like to call them. You all know what I'm talking about, the games where you are constantly running in a straight line, jumping over pitfalls and other obstacles and if you fail you die and start over. Most games of this caliber nowadays supplement their game and increase replay value with upgrade or shop systems but Canabalt is pure and is strictly pure running action. Part of Canabalt's appeal is actually in its simplicity. It has simple panchromatic coloring which surprisingly works very well and the gameplay is simple, makes for a perfect high score game to be honest.

Like I said earlier, Canabalt was originally a flash game for free and then they made an HD version you have to pay for on mobile devices, but is it worth it? The $2.99? Honestly I would say no. All the "HD" version offers is a more 3D look adapted from the 2D original look as well as a global high score system. Still a little pricey in my opinion especially when say you could just load it up on a browser on your mobile devices and play essentially the same game for free. Still though, Canabalt as a whole is perhaps the father of all runner games which is a huge flash and mobile game market and it does it so perfectly.

Zen Bound 2 Mobile App Review

Download Zen Bound 2 for Android, Itunes and on Steam
Developed by Secret Exit
Genre: Brain & Puzzle
MobileMush Reviews Rating: 9.5/10

To relax some people mediate, others do yoga and some people...well some people wrap little wooden statues with rope to paint them. Sound ridiculous  Well, it may be but it is the premise of the very unique and interesting mobile app Zen Bound 2.

I wasn't kidding when I said the purpose of Zen Bound 2 is wrapping wooden figurines with rope to paint them. It does sound like a crazy idea and one that doesn't make sense but it is what it is and it works quite well especially on touch screen devices. So the goal is to cover the most percentage of the wooden statues with the paint by wrapping the rope around it. Of course the challenge comes in the fact that you have a certain length of rope as well as the figurines have weird shapes so you really have to be tactical in where you want the rope to go and be fairly precise. Most surprisingly is that with this weird idea of painting statues with rope it really is pretty relaxing.

On top of the weirdly relaxing and addicting gameplay mechanics I was very impressed with just the quality of game Zen Bound 2 is. The graphics are absolutely stunning in terms of realism and level of detail. Just take a look at the two screenshots I have posted on this entry and you'll see. But even the menu systems are very professional looking. I also want to mention the tightness of the controls and how even though Zen Bound 2 requires you at times to be pretty detailed in your motions, the touch screen control scheme can handle it excellently. Overall Zen Bound 2 is unlike any other game I've ever played and trust me I've played plenty, so bravo Secret Exit on making a game that has almost left me completely speechless.

Waking Mars Mobile App Review

Download Waking Mars for Android, Itunes or Windows
Developed by Tiger Style
Genre: Arcade & Action
MobileMush Reviews Rating: 9.5/10

How would you like to explore Mars and be the spearhead of an expedition that not only finds water on Mars but a whole alien ecosystem? Sounds intense right? Well that is exactly what you get to do in Waking Mars by Tiger Style.

I recently picked up Waking Mars as part of the Humble Bundle and I urge you to as well if you haven't already. Waking Mars is a very immersive puzzle platformer with a pretty unique premise and a very nice storyline. The idea behind Waking Mars is you are an astronaut tasked with exploring a cave system on Mars after your remote sensing droid went AWOL. As you go down into the depths you discover a whole plant ecosystem in which you play an active role and it is this "active role" that is the unique twist. Basically there are seeds to various plant species around and you need to plant them in order to increase biomass which "unlocks" other plant species that are blocking the cave system. Unfortunately the more you raise the biomass the more acidic the environment gets which makes your job more dangerous. Overall this idea may sound crazy and far fetched but Tiger Style does a great job explaining everything through in game characters as well as an extensive research menu for each plant species you come across which makes for a really deep gameplay experience.

In terms of gameplay Waking Mars also takes a different approach with you actually using a jetpack and dealing with those mechanics for the most part. This is probably the hardest part about Waking Mars as it takes a while to get used to the touch screen controls. The whole planting seeds dynamic is really cool and works pretty well. It also makes for some interesting puzzles as you need to remember the perfect way to have enough biomass so you need to balance and use your water seeds strategically and whatnot. Graphically Waking Mars is pretty awesome. It has avatars for the characters in the storyline which are the only thing that look a tad weird but only because it contrasts with the general graphics of the levels, but overall graphics are pretty top notch for a mobile game. While Waking Mars does cost a bit of money (could potentially get it for cheap through the Humble Bundle if you hurry) it will keep you occupied for a while and is well worth the price!

Family Feud & Friends Mobile App Review

Download Family Feud & Friends for free on Android or Itunes
Developed by Ludia Inc.
Genre: Casual
MobileMush Reviews Rating: 7.5/10

I feel most people do not review mobile games based on known TV game shows or board games as they assume people already have their preconceived notions about the game, but I think that is wrong and even if a mobile game has the same intellectual property it could still surprise you and you should check it out, hence today's review - Family Feud & Friends.

Mobile games based on already invented TV game shows is however...I guess an easy way out but I'm sure Ludia Inc. was either hired by the original creators of these games such as Family Feud or at least purchased the rights and well...someone's bound to do it and I must say Ludia Inc. does do a good job. So if you've watched Family Feud before (any one of the iterations on television) then you know the general premise of Family Feud & Friends but I'll explain it for the few who may not know. You are give a question such as, "Name an exercise your highschool gym teacher made you do." in which 100 people somewhere were surveyed the same question. You then have to guess answers to that question and try and get answers that most match what the 100 polled people say. That is Family Feud for you! You do that for three rounds with increasing points and then if you win you go to fast money round which is the same except it is more quick fire and you can only give one answer per each question. You then get a friend to do the same and if your combined scores total 200 points you win extra points!

So the gameplay part in Family Feud & Friends pretty much is the same as the television show Family Feud, but how does it differ or work on a mobile device and what is the "& friends" part? Well, basically Family Feud & Friends is a very social oriented game, such as Farmville or Cityville on Facebook. But do not worry it is not that intrusive and you do not have to post or spam your Facebook wall unless you absolutely want to. In fact you really do not need to have friends play to progress further as you do in a lot of those social Facebook games. Friends do help such as in the fast money round and you can do daily challenges for extra points but you can get the full experience without friends at all which can be nice in some aspects.

There are a few problems however with Family Feud & Friends that I have discovered. The biggest I guess is the actual word guessing interface. First off you do have to spell things out which can be a problem for those who are spelling impaired but there is an autocorrect function which helps. The issue lies in the word recognition in the game. For example I have played rounds in which I could guess ice as an answer for something that melts and I get it wrong and the right answer is ice cream. Similar enough to me. So sometimes the answers the computer wants are too broad or too generic. The other big issue with Family Feud & Friends is if you play enough which could happen as it can get pretty addicting then you will start seeing repeats which then just ruins all fun... Overall though, Family Feud & Friends is a great mobile game about a familiar concept that can get extremely addicting!

Turbo Kids Mobile App Review

Download Turbo Kids for Android
Developed by DroidHen
Genre: Arcade & Action
MobileMush Reviews Rating: 9.5/10

Now doesn't this game seem familiar ..at least it does for me as I remember playing and reviewing the flash game demo of Turbo Kids over at FlashMush. Nonetheless I discovered Turbo Kids for Android and love playing it on my Nexus 7 tablet.

What makes Turbo Kids so great is that it combines the addicting tendencies of a distance runner game like Jetpack Joyride with a racing type competition. I guess since it is technically a racing game it isn't much a distance game but the concepts are similar. In Turbo Kids you are pitted against seven computer players in a race for first place. Along the way there are various environmental factors which can affect the outcome. You have boosters to make you go faster, jump boosts which make you jump high in the air and then various weapons you can pick up. This is where the game gets nasty, these weapons. You have ice bullets which freeze an opponent, exchange bullets which make you swap places with who you hit and then trap bullets which slow down an opponent for a while.

As you can imagine games in Turbo Kids can get quite hectic and results vary greatly, it also has a similar effect as the blue turtle shell in Mario Kart games where you can be first, get hit with something and end up dead last. Luckily if you find yourself coming in dead last a lot you can use the points you earn from winning to upgrade yourself and give yourself other powers such as moonwalk ability which breaks you out of ice and trap effects. Turbo Kids has four level packs I suppose each one representing a season and the graphics to reflect each are absolutely gorgeous. Cartoony yet very professionally made and ever so detailed. There are also tons of different modes you can play such as tournament, relay, timing and chase along with achievements for all as well. The amount of content in Turbo Kids is actually quite amazing and can really keep you busy for weeks if not months, this is a must have app for any person with an Android device.

Sushi Chop Mobile App Review

Download Sushi Chop for Android, Itunes and Windows
Developed by Rouge Rocket Games
Genre: Arcade & Action
MobileMush Reviews Rating: 8.5/10

Back when touch screen phones and tablets were just hitting the stage I feel one game got a lot of attention; HalfBrick Studio's Fruit Ninja. Note that even Fruit Ninja may not have been the first game of this swipe to cut things genre but it is the most recognizable and arguably the most popolar app game with that theme. My point is that many games since Fruit Ninja have entered the scene to try and capitalize on some of that same success and most fail. However where most have failed I feel Sushi Chop has succeeded a bit, at least enough to catch my attention.

The success I feel in the differentiation between most Fruit Ninja clones and Sushi Chop is one big thing. Sushi Chop is not just about cutting as much fruit (or in this case fish) as possible while avoiding bombs but there is a secondary goal which has a big impact on gameplay. Basically how Sushi Chop plays is you have a sushi plate platter in front of you with four slots. Each time you slice a fish one piece of cut fish aka sushi goes into a slot. Fill all four slots and you get another plate and then another. The catch here is that if you fail to fill a plate in the time limit then you lose a life. So not only can you lose a life if you hit a "bomb" (in Sushi Chop's case it is rotten fish) but if you don't fill the platters in the time limit you also lose a life.

Another gameplay feature that makes Sushi Chop different and in some ways better than Fruit Ninja is you can slice fish multiple times. In fact you can slice the fish enough times to fill one whole sushi platter with one fish (so four times). This also gives you a slight bonus and can you can run combos with it. Along side the base gameplay there is of course various powerups such as one that allows for all fresh fish to appear (no rotten fish), ones that increase points, one that increases the sushi platter size from four to six slots, and more!

But what there is literally more! After each wave/level in Sushi Chop there is a bonus level in which you are challenged to chop a certain type of fish a certain amount of times before time runs out which helps in the points department. There is also another gameplay mode in which you are shown pictures of specific fish and you have to chop them in that order. On top of all that there is a shop in which you can buy different types of knives for better sushi chopping skill! Overall, in one phrase I guess I would say Sushi Chop is much more detailed than Fruit Ninja and deserves more attention!

Jetpack Joyride Mobile App Review

Download Jetpack Joyride for Android and Itunes
Developed by HalfBrick Studios
Genre: Arcade & Action
MobileMush Review Rating: 8.5/10

Time to blow this pop-sickle stand! Literally! Jetpack Joyride starts out with a bang with you busting through a wall in what I can only guess is a top secret research lab with all the nerds running around in their lab coats. Luckily you have your handy dandy jetpack to help you run away as far as you can in this never ending laboratory distance mobile app game!

Jetpack Joyride at its foundation is a pretty basic game which follows the ever so popular distance genre trend. Basically, go as far as you can without dying or being stopped while collecting as much currency you can to spend on upgrades to help you go further. When typed out like that it seems like a terrible video game idea and makes us sound like hamsters on a wheel or something but the formula, as predictable as it is, really is addicting especially on mobile devices where you can play for a few minutes or rounds at a time.

While Jetpack Joyride follows the generic formula it does do it quite well. The jetpack idea in itself makes it stand out and a really fun game to play especially on touch screen devices, basically you can tap and hold down on the screen to kind of "hover" with your jetpack in order to avoid the various obstacles but it just feels so...natural to do. On top of that control point, Jetpack Joyride offers tons of features to keep you occupied and more importantly addicted. Among these features are first off the dangerous features which include lasers both stationary and mobile and heat seeking rockets. There are also collectible features including typical coins for currency in the shop but also vehicular upgrades such as a Bad As Hog, Gravity Suit, Lil' Stomper, and many more which really give a good variety to the game. On top of all those features are background features like the nerds running around, tumbleweeds, and all the backgrounds as you rush by (forests, labs, water scenes, it has it all!).

Of course with a distance based app there needs to be a big focus on an upgrade system of which Jetpack Joyride offers plenty. There are upgrades for clothing, jetpacks, vehicle, utilities and gadgets. Some of which are purely cosmetic and others do help you. The biggest problem I have with Jetpack Joyride, however, is that it is skewed towards micro-transactions to really get the good stuff. I know this should be expected and it is how the developer studios earn their money but I guess I'm just a stickler for full feature games for free...but I know I'm being unrealistic in today's market. But if you are unwilling to pay for the "good" items than even though Jetpack Joyride is a well made game with lots of potential replay value you won't play it that much as you'l get bored playing over and over with little reward.

Welcome Friends and Strangers!

I always like to have a nice welcome/introduction post to new blogs to give you all, my readers, a gauge at what this blog will be about!

Basically, I already run a review blog which focuses mainly on flash games over at FlashMush Reviews. The issue I came across though is that I like to occasionally review more mobile games which you can play on your Iphones or Android devices or tablets. For the longest time I simply just did the reviews on FlashMush Reviews and called those reviews "MobileMush" reviews. As time has gone on though I have thought about it and I have decided to create a separate site for these mobile reviews so here I am with MobileMush Reviews! I hope to of course affiliate and interconnect the two in a lot of interesting ways so I hope you enjoy the mobile reviews to come!