Super Bunny Breakout Puts A Fun And Cute New Perspective On The Arcade Classic
Super Bunny Breakout™ ($0.99) by Zynga is a fresh and cute new take on your typical Breakout game. It's not retro like Wizorb, nor is it a unique concept like Draw Breaker, where you could draw the paddle anywhere on the screen. Super Bunny Breakout is different in the way that it just doesn't look like your standard fare in this genre.
There’s even a bit of a backstory going on here. You find out that there are bunnies and other adorable critters who are being enslaved at Evil Animal Testing (E.A.T.). Of course, an evil feline is involved — it’s part of their plan for world domination. So it’s up to you and your other “Super Critters” to break them out of their cages with Breakout style levels combined with realistic physics and puzzle fun.
There are three labs to go through, each with 16 levels. Each one will feature various objects that set the stage, and they may even be moving around via conveyor belts or held up by chains. You must use your super critters by bouncing them into objects with the paddle to break them. To launch the critters, just drag the slingshot down. To move the paddle, you slide your finger on the screen.
Like other games of the genre, it will definitely take more than one hit to clear an obstacle. Cleared objects also have a chance to drop coins, power-ups, health packs, and bonus items like anti-gravity. Levels end once you manage to break all obstacles and the cages that hold the animals, and you can collect them as they fall for bonus points.
You will encounter new critters as you go, and some of them can join you on your quest to save the others. Each will have their own strengths and weaknesses, but for most levels you can choose up to four to take with you. If you feel one of them will do better than the others for certain things in a level, just drag them out to switch.
Since the game uses creatures as the ball, these little guys need energy to sustain themselves for all the bouncing that they will be doing. You will see their energy bar in the top right corner while you play, and each time you miss them with the paddle, it will subtract 100 energy points. Med kits will restore 100 energy points, and other items will refill a bit of it as well.
Since this game is from Zynga, I’m not terribly surprised that they resort to power-ups. With your coins, you can purchase food items to feed your critters, which will restore energy and even give them a strength boost while in play. These will only last for a limited amount of time, so you will end up having to buy them quite often, I’d imagine. If you need more coins, they are available through in-app purchases. However, the game is still playable without investing in them too much.
Each level allows players to earn a maximum of three stars. Getting them all will depend on how fast you complete it, as well as how good you are. You can also get items to decorate your tree house with to make it yours. There is Game Center support, though it only has achievements, not leaderboards.
I found the gameplay of Super Bunny Breakout to be a refreshing change from just standard blocks. In fact, I think it’s harder this way, since thin beakers are definitely harder to hit than a big old brick. The graphics look fantastic, the music is whimsical, and the creatures are delightful.
If you are a fan of the Breakout-style games but want a new take on it, then I recommend checking out Super Bunny Breakout. It's quite a fun game coming from the collaboration of Atari and Zynga. Get it in the App Store for your iPhone and iPad as a universal app for only $0.99. There is also a free version to try before getting the full game.
