Jungle Bug: Rock & Roll is a cute and charming tilt-and-roll survival game for iPhone and iPod Touch.
You play the game as a bug who, as the intro explains in a cheeky reference to a very famous iPhone game, has got stuck after “doodle jumping” to the top of a very tall tree.
It’s your job to guide him down while avoiding the nasties that want to squish him.
To help you in your task, the bug turns into a ball which is easy to roll around using the responsive and very easy accelerometer controls.
As the game starts, platforms begin scrolling upwards on the screen. There are gaps in the platforms which you must navigate the bug through.
The bug must be kept moving downwards, otherwise he’ll be crushed if he gets too close to the top of the screen.
Along the way there are six types of power-up which are collected when rolled over. They are activated by touching each one.
These power-ups change the speed, size and movement of the platforms.
Also during the descent, glow worms can be collected and these provide bonus points at the end of the game.
There are baddies to avoid, including red bugs which steal your glow worms and the spiky Spinner critter.
If you bump into the Spinner or don’t move down the tree quick enough then it’s game over. The final score is calculated by how far you dropped and how many glow worms you had.
The game starts off very slow-paced but the vertical scrolling of the platforms soon speeds up and it becomes challenging to constantly keep the bug on the move.
Jungle Bug from Utopian Games has vivid colours, delightful visuals and a chirpy soundtrack – all in all, the presentation is very nice.
I have come across a couple of small annoyances. There doesn’t seem to be a way to pause the game and there don’t seem to be any leaderboards.
The game could also benefit from a bit more variety, such as changing backgrounds or perhaps some more interactive items.
Originality isn’t one of this game’s strong points either – there are definitely similarities between Jungle Bug and other survival games in the App Store.
It’s a little bit like Doodle Jump in reverse.
Jungle Bug is quite captivating and I’ve found myself wanting just one more go on occasions but it isn’t quite as addictive as Lima Sky’s mega hit.
Overall, Jungle Bug is a fun albeit simplistic and one-dimensional little casual game.
If you enjoy upward or downward tilt-controlled endurance games then this is worth checking out.
Verdict: 7 out of 10 – The very basic concept of survive-as-long-as-you-can is given extra substance by the delightful jungle theme and some nice gameplay ideas which make this an appealing reactions-based roll-a-thon.
Watch a trailer for Jungle Bug: Rock & Roll:
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