Review: Alice in Bomberland

Update

SonicBOOM listened to users, and has updated Alice in Bomberland to provide a brand new control scheme. You can still use the old method, but now you can just tap to jump, and hold your finger to move in that direction. You're able to tap anywhere on screen instead of the small control inputs previously. The controls were the only original problem, and now that they're fixed it really improves the quality of the game. You used to lose lives because of not being able to use the controls properly. Now you'll make it through this wonderful experience. I think Alice in Bomberland is still a should buy even with the control update. If you even remotely know of Alice pick up this title today.

Overview

The title pretty much speaks for itself, you are Alice, in Wonderland, and there are bombs going off all over the place. So in essence, you "really" are in Bomberland...get it? A tad literal and a bit lame on the puns, but a very fun and entertaining game nevertheless.

Features

Since the game is based on the Lewis Carroll novels, Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass it of course features famous quotes and poems from the book. Most of these must be unlocked as you progress through the game. As I said before, you can unlock all kinds of stuff like developer commentary and an endless mode as well. The artwork included in the game is original and comes from acclaimed children's book illustrator Mark Meyers. Alice's character in the game is drawn by David Hellman who is the visual artist from Braid. The app has over 48 different challenges throughout 8 different settings. There are also 11 songs on the soundtrack too.

Breakdown

The Good:

The visuals in the game are amazing and they fit the style and themes of the Alice in Wonderland world perfectly. If you want a game to show off the vibrancy of the iPhone, this is it. I love the simplicity of this one. You basically just avoid different stuff and that's about it. Sure there are different items to get and different levels, but that's the basic premise and it works really well here.

The Bad:

I really enjoyed this little game. My only issue with this app would be the control scheme. You move the character up and down, left and right, from the bottom of the screen. It's a very small part of the screen and you can tend to go out of the control area if you're not careful. As timing is everything here, it can get a bit frustrating from time to time. It's not a huge deal breaker and once you get the hang of things it's not so bad, but I can image it would be difficult for those of us with large thumbs.

The Verdict

If you like Alice in Wonderland and simple, casual games, then this is the app for you. The look of the game is stunning and it's a fun little app that is great to kill a few minutes of your day with.