Review: Arachnadoodle

GAME: Arachnadoodle
FORMAT: IPOD/IPHONE
DEVELOPER: Connect To Media
PUBLISHER: Connect To Media

Have you played Peggle? If not then you should have done. It is one of the most addictive casual games out there and is now available on pretty much every platform, from PC to Nintendo DS to 50p LCD watch from your local garage - Do you remember those watches? They sell now at £30-£40 as ‘retro’ watches… Ridiculous - Which brings me very smoothly on to Arachnadoodle. It’s a 59p iPhone/iPod game that is reminiscent of Peggle and almost as addictive, even though it is fairly limited in variation and backgrounds.

The aim of the game is to help the spider touch each blue/cream peg on the screen by making him jump. Control is done by touching any point on the screen, which then becomes your centre. Drag and hold in the direction that you want to jump, varying the length to contol the power, and then let go! The little spider will fly up and either arc back down to the ground for a safe landing or ricochet off walls. He can also stick to furniture or be frazzled by light bulbs. When the spider passes through pegs it webs them, connecting it to the next peg it meets. If it doesn’t meet another peg then you don’t score and you must try again. Blue pegs can be passed straight through, but cream pegs swing you back down towards the ground.

All of that make sense? Well, basic tactics include following lines of pegs and bouncing off walls and bumpers (much like a pinball machine) to get the most out of each turn. You only have a set number of turns to attach every peg and complete your web. If you can’t complete it in the moves allowed then I’m afraid it’s GAME OVER! But don’t worry too much as levels unlock as you progress, meaning you can go back to the level that beat you at any time.

So many pegs so few moves

There are also 2 kinds of bad bugs that will hinder your progress. Both are common house bugs, including an exploding beetle and electrically charged flies… Ok, maybe not that common - They’re probably Australian. The Death’s Head bugs explode on impact, destroying a wide area of your webbing, and are almost impossible to come back from unless you hit them near the start, which is a tactic I used on multiple occasions. They really are a menace to your game, but the levels where these are found are much more interesting and challenging. The spark flies act just like a light bulb and will bring your current jump to an abrupt end; stopping you from hitting any more pegs. Although, you don’t lose any of the web that you made on your way. These are not as dispruptive as the Death’s Heads but unlike those, the Spark Flies don’t run out of juice; they will keep electrocuting you if you keep hitting them.

A hand drawn, cartoon style, is all that it is needed for this kind of simple concept game. The little graphical flares, such as sparks and slow-motion when hitting the final peg, are extras that add a little excitement to whatever you are doing. The clean 2D graphics were never meant to amaze, but please, and they do this well. However, the backgrounds are a little lazy: the same few walls and furnishings are used repeatedly, albeit mirrored or coloured differently. They could have done a little more in terms of background design. It reminds me of magnolia walls in rented housing; looks clean and does the job… but it’s boring.

I would have liked to see some more themes than the kitchen, bathroom and living room copied and pasted again and again. But then again, I am talking about a 59p game focussed on gameplay, so who am I to complain really?The bugs are very cute and are what you’ll be looking at most of the time anyway.

Bonuses for long chains of web

At the end of each of the 32 levels level a horde of flies buzz across the screen and get caught depending on the strength of the web you have weaved, which is determined by the amount of links between pegs. Basically, how awesome you are at the game translates into the number of flies you catch. There are 3 types of fly; purple being the strongest. Purples can escape all but the strongest of webs, but give you the most points if caught. Here is where replayability comes in. There are online leaderboards and a few achievements using the OpenFeint system, where you can compete against friends and other players worldwide for the highest scores. This will be a gem for high score hunters.

Review Round Up

GRAPHICS:
3/5 Does everything it needs to do. Cartoony characters, ergonomic display, yes the backgrounds are repeated and sterile but it’s still a nice looking game.

SOUND:
3/5 Music is fine, nice sound effects but it has the option to switch these off and keep on whatever you are currently listening to or even access your music files through the options menu. This should be an option on every iPod/iTouch game.

GAMEPLAY:
5/5 Fun and addictive. I could wish for more variation in the level designs and use of bad bugs but considering the 59p price tag the value for money is excellent. The peg webbing tactics provide some challenge but is accessible to most types of people and you aren’t punished for failing a level. As a lover of puzzle/tactical games I would prefer a little more difficulty but that doesn’t stop Arachnadoodle from being fun. You’ll instinctively pick up and start playing at every spare moment, which is exactly the aim for casual mobile games.

LONGEVITY:
3/5 Easy to pick up and play for minutes or hours, I’ve played for about 4-5 hours overall and I still feel the need to refine my scores. I’d love to see more levels and more of a challenge to keep me coming back, but I accept this as a value package for the price. I can’t wait for more.

OVERALL:
4 out of 5 Exploding Australian bugs. This is one of my most satisfying buys on the iPod Touch so far. Feels completely natural to pick up and play at every free moment. When can I get more levels?

[starreview tpl=16]

Tags: arachnadoodle, iphone, ipod, Joefeesh, peggle, Review, touch

Leave a Reply