Ever since smartphones and tablets started to launch with accelerometers and gyroscopes with increasing accuracy, there has been a flood of games that take advantage of physics and balance in games. In fact, many of you might remember that one of the first popular games on Android was a simple maze game that relied on the user to move the device in order to guide the ball or object through the maze. That was a long time ago though. Is there room for such a game as that today, in 2013? Read on to see if Fruit Labyrinth could be that one more game.
Description: Fruit Ball Labyrinth is a simple maze game that’s built around the Unity engine. The aim of the game is quite simple, to guide the ball from one end of the maze to the other end of the maze, while collecting fruit to gain points as you go. The gameplay not only involves you having to make sure that the ball doesn’t fall off of the edge and into the water but, also to make sure that you don’t bounce off of any objects and land in the water. Rubber balls bounce and the one that you have to guide in Fruit Ball Labyrinth is very bouncy indeed, which means you have to factor that into how you play, as well.
How it Works: First of all, you’ll have to download the game from the Play Store to start playing.
You’ll have to choose a level from the list and then you can get started.
The aim of the game is really quite simple, all you have to do is move your device to guide the ball throughout the maze.
It sounds easy at first but, it quickly gets more difficult. You can collect fruit along the way to add to your score.
One thing you need to be careful of is the edge, you’re not to fall off into the water.
As you progress through the levels, you’ll find more advanced structures to deal with, like moving panels.
When you complete each level, you’ll be given feedback on how you’ve done.
Opinion: It’s a shame that Fruit Ball Labyrinth isn’t a little more polished than it is right now. The game has all the neccessary parts to make for an entertaining, if not mundane game for mobile devices. However, the game isn’t really any more than the sum of its parts, which together don’t shine any more than they do on their own. Throughout the game, for instance, there is a use of low-resolution textures and graphics, which does nothing for the overall look and feel of the game. The gameplay however, is a lot of fun and right when you think you have everything under control, you’ll bounce off of a moving object and end up in the water once again. The added bounciness of the ball adds a whole other dynamic to the game and makes things fresh and fun. Right now, the game has potential but, feels more like a tech demo with ads than a full game.
Ratings
- Speed (4/5) – The game runs fine and the gameplay really picks up after a while.
- Features (3/5) – This is essentially the same old maze game that we’ve been playing for some time now.
- Theme (3/5) – The low-resolution water textures and loading screens really bring the game down overall.
- Overall (3.5/5) – At its heart, Fruit Ball Labyrinth can be a fun game, it’s just a shame that the low-resolution graphics and the rest can’t back it up.
Pros
- Frantic gameplay could leave you hooked.
- Added ball bounce adds new dynamic to the old maze concept.
- Good use of accelerometers and gyroscopes.
- It’s nice to see a new spin on an old concept.
Cons
- Low-resolution textures.
- Clearly isn’t optimized for high-resolution devices.
Conclusion: All-in-all, Fruit Ball Labyrinth is not the great game that it could be. Sure, the concept of a maze you guide a ball through is pretty old by now but, the gameplay can be fun and can get addictive. It’s just a shame that the game can’t back-up the quality graphics of the maze in the backgrounds and loading screens. While the maze itself looks quite good, with high-resolution textures and reflections, everything else looks like something from an early Android app. It’s all very low-resolution, with loading screens that look very pixelated. Overall, Fruit Ball Labyrinth has some potential to be a good game, it’s just not the game it could be – not yet.