Game Reviews

Yumby Smash

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Yumby Smash
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| Yumby Smash

From the developer of Yumby Toss, a game about flinging strange little creature into a building full of enemies (Rovio’s lawyers are presumably aware), comes another game about flinging a strange little creature into smashable blocks.

You could say PlayGearz lacks innovation, or simply fancies a slice of Angry Birds-filled pie, but there's a spark of creativity in this slightly psychedelic physics platformer that will appeal to younger gamers weaned on the surreal stylings of SpongeBob SquarePants.

It's just a shame, then, that including an energy system to keep Yumby flinging will deservedly lump the game in with so many other coin-hungry freemium games.

Smash and grab

There is a story, of sorts, about evil Colonel Crumpet sucking food out of the Yumby race's homeworld, but it takes a back seat to the generous 90 - mostly mindless - levels of block-busting spread over a trio of colourful stages.

It's the control scheme that makes Yumby Smash stand out a little from its peers. Navigating the maze-like levels, avoiding the plethora of sharp-edged hazards, and smashing as many blocks as possible to hit the three-star target relies on some surprisingly deft skills.

Swiping your Yumby in one direction flings him at that angle until he collides with an object, while tapping and holding him in flight activates a slo-mo function that helps you swiftly change course - or slide into tiny areas without overshooting them.

There's undoubtedly a lot of fun to be had flinging your Yumby about early on, as you breeze through the first stages and enjoy the simple the tactile pleasure of the action.

Lethargic

Just before you get to the second world, however, the game suddenly starts filling every wall, block, and outcropping with hazards and enemies that sap the hero's speed and, most crucially, his finite supply of energy.

Reviving Yumby is your only choice, as most levels are impossible to complete in one run, and doing so burns through energy faster than you can say, "Do you have any spare change in your Google Wallet?"

It's a problem that only escalates the longer you play, and while power-ups exist (such as bombs that destroy chunks of the scenery and shields that offer temporary invulnerability), supplies are limited and need to be topped up with coins collected in-game or via more IAPs.

The fun quicky drains from Yumby Smash's adventure and the simple joy of smashing blocks is replaced by a grinding dodge-fest that few will enjoy for more than brief fling.

Yumby Smash

A weird and colourful art style that will appeal to little 'uns more than adults belies a penny-sucking platformer that skews the difficulty to ensure you have to fork out for more in-app purchases
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Paul Devlin
Paul Devlin
A newspaper reporter turned games journo, Paul's first ever console was an original white Game Boy (still in working order, albeit with a yellowing tinge and 30 second battery life). Now he writes about Android with a style positively dripping in Honeycomb, stuffed with Gingerbread and coated with Froyo