ReBounce, a strategic arcade puzzler released by Romper Games, is now available from the app store. Utilizing elements from popular games like Peggle and the plethora of brickbreaker-style games, it’s easy to see how ReBounce can easily suck you in with its exciting and fast-moving gameplay.
ReBounce Pros:
- Cheery light graphics
- Exciting and fast-moving gameplay
- Plenty of sound effects and fireworks upon level unlock
ReBounce Cons:
- None as of version 1.2
ReBounce tasks you with eliminating the various configurations of marbles and gears that appear on-screen, but with three gameplay modes interspersed through the 40 levels of play, the process by which you complete each level varies a bit. Each level starts with the golden puck being tossed in the air, similar to the initial jump in a basketball game. You grab the puck by touching and holding it, swiping in the direction that you want it to go. The puck will bounce off of both marbles and gears, with the marbles cycling through a specific color sequence until they disappear, earning big points. Initially, marbles change from green to green-yellow to yellow and then disappear, though more colors are added in later levels. Each marble that is struck will not only change its color, but any similarly-colored marbles that it is in contact with, cycling the entire group to the next color in sequence. Eliminating huge chains of yellow marbles earns big bonus points. Gears act to protect marbles from coming into contact with the puck. They cannot be eliminated directly by contacting the puck, but will disappear when a nearby bomb is struck.
The three game modes are: Rush, Puzzle, and Bonus. In Rush, marbles will continually creep higher and higher toward the top of the screen, requiring you to eliminate them to keep their ascent under control. If they reach the safety line, or if the puck drops off of the screen bottom, the level ends. There are bronze, silver, and gold score targets that you must try to beat. Puzzle mode is timed, requiring you to eliminate all marbles before time runs out. Alternatively, you can destroy the goal marble to automatically eliminate all marbles on-screen, but you only earn points for marbles destroyed prior to the destruction of the goal marble, so it should be used as a last resort. Bonus mode sort of combines the first two modes, with continually rising marbles in a timed setting. As in Puzzle mode, the golden puck cannot be lost off of the bottom of the screen as it can in Rush mode. The game is fast-paced, due in part to its real-time element of the puck never stopping and the manner by which it is affected by gravity.
Graphically, the game has a clean, pleasant aesthetic, with lots of light, pastel colors and cheery backgrounds. Our only issue is that the varying marble colors are not distinct enough, and the golden puck can easily get lost when bouncing around among the yellow marbles [Update 1.2 has redesigned the puck for better visibility! - We've updated our rating to 5-Dimples]. There is no soundtrack during gameplay, but plenty of sound effects and even a fireworks display when you unlock other levels. Playing music before starting the app will allow you to listen to your library during the game, but there is no in-game access. Controls are simple to learn and easy to use, as previously described.
We really enjoyed our time with the game, though we did note that at times it almost seems to play itself. We do recognize that Peggle is kind of like that too, but rarely does the initial toss in Peggle result in the completion of the entire level without any additional interaction from the gamer. In-game options are very limited, with the main menu only giving the option to Play Game upon initial start-up. Returning to the menu after playing for a bit will tell you what percentage of the game you have completed and give you access to any unlocked levels from the three game modes, as well as a look at your medals and high scores. Romper Games promises future updates with new levels, backgrounds, and power-ups, so hopefully we’ll see those shortly. Currently, replay value is pretty good, as you can attempt to climb the recently-implemented OpenFeint global leaderboards, snag some achievements, beat your own high scores, or attain gold medals on all 40 levels. At an introductory price of $0.99, it’s certainly worth the money. ReBounce is a very nice 5-Dimple puzzler.
