Review: BoxBattle Pro - For iPhone & iPad - Plus Win Four Copies

Overview

With the success of Angry Birds it’s no wonder there are more physics based puzzle games, and BoxBattle Pro is the most recent entry to the genre. You simply pull back, aim, and fire a cannon to knock all the green blocks off the screen while avoiding any red blocks. As you progress there are more complex arrangements of blocks, and you have new ammo types to use with varying abilities.

Features

There are 130 levels of block blasting action all with the same cannon on the left, and block formation on the right. There are ten unlockable shell types giving you bigger shells, shells that freeze platforms, and shells that bounce back. Certain shells are required for different levels, and all you shell shooting skills can be compared via OpenFeint.

The Good

The game provides solid physics puzzle gameplay where you blast away various block formations. The physics engine is well done so the blocks interact well with the shells and each other. Having to deal with the red blocks as well as being required to use various shells adds to the puzzle atmosphere. The levels offer some challenge as you figure out which shell to use, and what trajectory and power you fire it at. Clearing all the blocks is tough as they can get stuck on various things, and that requires extra shots which hurts you. Each shell you fire costs points while each block you make fall earns points, so you want to take as few shots as possible. The game has nice visual artwork with the whole steam punk theme, and the various gears. The animations are also well done with the actions of the various shells blasting out and into the boxes. The soundtrack is subtle, geared more towards a methodical puzzle atmosphere rather than action blasting.

The Bad

The controls are simply atrocious, and prevent you from enjoying any aspect of the game. You have to use two fingers to drag the cannon up and down, but the game doesn't recognize the two fingers very often. Aiming, and dragging for power is a little off as well, and overall you'll end up with numerous shots going off by accident. There isn't much precision allowed by the controls in a game that is all about precision. Frustration is the only feeling that this game summons with any fun or enjoyment thrown out the window. You have to drag with two fingers multiple times for the game to finally recognize your movements. You can deal with the controls with extremely tedious motions, but who wants to play a game where the most difficult aspect is handling the terrible controls. Though there are 130 levels they really all just meld together with seemingly very little replayability. Once you've played through ten levels or so the same mechanics are repeated, and you just get different shells. There is an iPhone and iPad version though they’re the same in every way except for visuals. That means there still is the same problem with controls, just on a larger scale.

The Verdict

BoxBattle Pro provides a new physics based puzzle type game with some nice challenging elements with various shells, as well as the point system. The controls are so bad that they get in the way of any type of enjoyment you can have with this game. The game is well made in every regard other than the controls, but you can’t really enjoy any of the aspects because of the controls. For $1.99 BoxBattle Pro on iPhone is definitely not worth it because of the controls. You can try the lite version to experience the controls for yourself. The iPad version for $2.99 is equally not worth it. ***We have four promo codes to giveaway with two for the iPhone version, and two for the iPad version. To win one of the codes simply leave a comment below or retweet this post. Be sure to tell us if you would like the iPhone or iPad version, and leave a valid e-mail address or follow us on twitter. The contest ends tonight 8/23 at 11:59 PM PDT. The codes are valid for US iTunes accounts only. Good luck.

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