Reviewed: January 6, 2009
Reviewed by: Kyle Crow

Publisher
I-Play

Developer
Digital Bridges (I-Play)

Released: December 17, 2008
Genre: Action-Puzzle
Players: 1

7
7
7
5
6.1

Game Info:

Alien Blobs has a unique gameplay interface that integrates iPhone technology. The game menus are controlled by a flick of the finger while the gameplay is controlled by tapping or tilting the iPhone. Although it is simple, the controls and the tilting take time to master for precise gameplay.

In order to defeat the blobs, you must match colors of your bombs with the color of two blobs. Matching more than two blobs gives you combos and bonus points. It definitely reminded me of Dr. Mario, when you match the color parts of the pills to the color of the viruses.

The game features two game modes that allow for quick gameplay. In story mode you’ll follow the adventures of Alice, an ordinary girl put in an extraordinary situation. Her father was working on a secret portal technology when he discovers a revolutionary way to travel between universes. But it all goes horribly wrong when one of the portals malfunctioned and Alien Blobs started to invade the human world. Now war has been declared and aliens are invading our planet!

You travel to five different worlds, and fight the blobs in different environments like ice, deserts, and safaris. As you progress on each level, you fight the blobs with different objectives in mind. These objectives range from protecting other creatures to defeating a number of blobs in a set time limit.

The arcade mode allows you to play any stages that you have unlocked so far in the story mode. This mode will let you hone your skills on the 7 different types of levels. Doing this will let you earn the higher level medals in the story mode.

The graphics are great for the iPhone. When I first thought of games on an iPhone, I didn't think the graphics would not be that great. Alien Blobs has proven me wrong. The game offers vibrant colors, a great cutscene, and a perfectly smooth framerate. Overall I'm impressed with what this developer can do with an iPhone.

The sound is also top rate for an iPhone game as well. The music is fast paced and fits well with the energetic flow of the game. The sound effects are also quite good. The only problem is that the default sound effects are rather loud and can drown out the music. Luckily, this is easily fixed in the main menu.

Even at $3.99 Alien Blobs has some limitations when it comes to overall value. First of all, there is no multiplayer option. The only way to come close to it is to play an arcade mode game and pass the phone around while comparing scores. Having that, or even better, some sort of Wi-Fi or 3G mode for wireless multiplayer would have given the game more lifespan. Secondly, there is very little replay power in the solo game. After acquiring all of the gold medals and unlocking everything, there is not much more left to do.

In short, Alien Blobs is a great start for iPhone games. It uses the technology that makes the iPhone unique for an original gaming experience of it's own. Alien Blobs is great for any action-puzzle game fan, but otherwise its replay value may merit waiting for the price to drop before I could recommend paying full price. Check out the free Lite version if you aren’t sure.