Mushroom 11 review - Just a cool idea or a genuinely great platformer?

Mushroom 11 is a puzzle platformer that sees you guiding a large mass of green cells through a post-apocalyptic wasteland by erasing parts of its flobby bod.

Originally released on Steam in October 2015, its reviews were pretty positive, but how does the iOS version compare? Not bad, actually. Not bad at all.

Even though its difficulty curve derails the experience a tad, it's such a simple and unique concept that it really shines out against other platformers.

For whatever reason we're playing in a deadened world filled with burnt-out buildings, silent streets, and lava-filled puddles. An ideal setting for a gross, self-multiplying, green blob-like thing, no?

You control the aforementioned blob by swishing your finger around it, shaping it like plasticine to conquer whatever obstacles stand in your way.

Better yet, for the finer touches you can switch to a smaller control area so you don't accidentally chop of a limb while you're shaving your blob down. It comes in useful for making bridges and moving quickly.

Your blob can split into two parts to help you press buttons and open doors, or you can use it to weigh down pieces of buildings and old elevator bodies.

You can even mould it so that it can swing to a new part of the level without falling into lava. It's pretty diverse.

As the levels progress things get harder. Eventually you'll meet obstacles like rockets, or purple acid which spreads through the blob, dissolving it unless you sever the infected part.

Even though the game can get frustrating at times, the checkpoints are generous enough that after the hardest obstacles you're left with the satisfaction of a job well done rather than the fear you're going to fail and have to do it all over again.

Another intriguing element is the game's moments of action -enemies and random boss-like fights appear in the levels. Usually you'll just have to pop the glowing red sacks with your green goop, but it's still challenging and cool.

Fading into the harder negatives, some of the puzzles aren't really puzzles - more luck or shape-based, and some do seem almost unfairly difficult at times.

Mushroom 11 is an interesting and surprisingly enjoyable platformer which puts a spin on the genre that's most welcome indeed.

You'll need bags of patience for some of its challenges, but it's very satisfying once you finally get it right. Definitely one that's worth adding to your library.