iAppLover

Bounce On iPhone App

Now, games rarely if ever have to make sense, especially ones on a phone.  You could just be some sort of colored object, perhaps a red dot, trying to get together with that elusive green dot.

I mean, look at snake.  Sure that growing, curvy line evokes images related to the game’s name, but it’s not like that’s particularly logical to begin with.  A story isn’t required – an objective is. That’s what Bounce on has – bring the red ball back to its home, a pocket that it fell out of.  It’s like an adorable little red golf ball that just wants to go home.

Enemies and obstacles abound, existing perhaps just to get in the way of our semi-intrepid little hero and we need to guide him through it. 15 levels of fun abound, following a sorting algorithm of difficulty of course.

You get a world map of sorts as your level selection menu, with little medals representing how hard that stage is.  While it is a novel and fun way of selecting the level, it could be annoying if you booted it for one quick game on a specific stage, since you actually have to move the little blob to the right spot before you can select the level.

It’s a Mario-esque side-scroller where you bounce, hop and roll your way to victory by reaching the end of the level. Instead of coins or stars, you get gems.

While it’s not gonna tax anyone’s mental faculties or drive your eyebrows into a deep furrow, it’s still a fairly enjoyable game that requires a level of attention to succeed in.  It also requires some skill.

The medals for each stage are earned depending on how much effort you put into it.  Simply finishing the stage gives you the less than amazing bronze level.  Collecting every single gem makes the medal silver, while doing so within a specific time frame gives you the always shiny gold medal.

The progression of difficulty gives the game a sense of unity. Unlike many games on both consoles and cell phones, Bounce On is enjoyable enough that repeated failure on a level doesn’t frustrate as much as it probably should.

The game itself is cheap, $3.99, compared to other apps that can hit $15.00 and is well worth the investment.  While it may not have the replay value of a word game or a match three, it’s simple premise and ease of play makes it worth every cent and dollar.