Item: Pull My Tongue
Rating: 9.0
Author: Christine Chan

Pull My Tongue ($0.99) by Noodlecake Studios Inc and David Marquardt is a cute and charming puzzle game that involves a hungry little chameleon who has a big appetite for popcorn. If you’re a fan of other puzzle games like Cut the Rope and all of the spinoffs, then you will enjoy Pull My Tongue.

While I enjoy a lot of iOS games (my latest addiction has been none other than Crashlands), one of my favorite overall genres for the platform are the puzzles. I mean, seriously, who doesn’t like a good puzzle game to keep themselves stimulated and entertained at the same time? Plus, when you throw in adorable characters, it’s hard to just not love them. When Cut the Rope first came out, I, like many others, instantly became enamored with the cuddly little Om Nom character. And while Cut the Rope is still a great franchise in its own merit, I believe it’s time for someone to step up to the plate and have us all fall in love with another cute, green creature, and Pull My Tongue has certainly done the job, especially considering that the game was made by one guy (audio was done by Patrik Jarlestam) and published by Noodlecake Studios.

The art style in Pull My Tongue is rather stunning, and it clearly has been inspired a lot by the Cut the Rope franchise. Greg the Chameleon is lovely with his green body and all of the small details that bring him to life (poke his eyes on the menu screen for funny reactions or sit idle to hear him sneeze). The different environments that Greg finds himself in on his quest to get some delicious popcorn are beautiful with realistic backdrops and textures. The stars and obstacles in each puzzle are bubbly and inviting, despite the dangers that await poor little Greg. Animations are buttery smooth and fluid, and the soundtrack is quirky and whimsical. The sound effects that you’ll hear throughout the game are indeed a fun, finishing touch.

Like other games of this nature, Pull My Tongue features different worlds that serve as chapters, and there are about 15 levels in each, with a total of 90 puzzles. As an additional treat, there are three bonus stages that can be unlocked after you acquire enough medals. You also have to collect enough stars to gain access to the other worlds, though if you’re impatient, all of them can be unlocked with an in-app purchase. The objective in each level is to help Greg stretch his tongue out far enough to reach the popcorn, while also collecting up to three stars and avoiding hazardous obstacles like spikes, zappers, chewing gum, balloons, and more. While it sounds easy enough, things get a bit more complicated as you go along.

The controls in Pull My Tongue are simple — just touch-and-drag Greg’s tongue to pull and stretch it around obstacles. To collect a star, Greg’s tongue must be touching it by the time you reach the popcorn, in which it will automatically retract once the goal is met. But don’t be fooled — just because that tongue can be stretched out for quite a bit, it isn’t infinite. Greg and his tongue will turn purple if you have reached the limit of stretchiness, so the puzzles involve figuring out a way to get the tongue to the popcorn in the most efficient way possible while avoiding hazards that hurt the green chameleon.

Since the puzzles can be rather challenging, you’ll have the urge to replay levels that you only got one or two stars on, and trying to earn the medals for bonus stages adds to the replay value. There is also Game Center support for leaderboards and achievements, which only means more reason to come back to the game. If you get stuck, you can use hints, and if you run out, more are available through in-app purchases.

I’m still pretty early on in the game, but so far I’m enjoying it a lot. The graphics are cute and charming, the music is a delight to the ears, and the gameplay is definitely something different that hasn’t been done before. Plus, the puzzles are pretty challenging, so you will be spending some time with the game before you beat it. I hope to see more levels added in the future, because this is a puzzle game that I’ll be keeping on my iPhone for a while.

I recommend giving Pull My Tongue a try if you are a fan of adorable puzzle games and want a good challenge. You can find Pull My Tongue on the App Store as a universal download for just $0.99.