Tumblebugs (iPhone)

There’s something going down at the bottom of the garden. A bug rebellion, no less. The colourful Tumblebugs are being held prisoner by the evil black bugs and it’s up to heroic bug Tumble to save the day. Grab your best pointing finger and join the fight.

Tumblebugs is a game in the same vein as Zuma or Luxor 2 – a series of coloured balls (in this case, speckled bugs) are being rolled along a twisting path and by throwing other bugs into the mix and matching the colours you can help to free the slaves and take back the garden. Previously released as an online game, Tumblebugs has been incredibly popular with over 35 million downloads and free-plays to date.

The controls for Tumblebugs are incredibly simple – touch Tumble to change the colour of your throw-able bug to one of the others she has in stock or touch the screen where you want the bug to be thrown. The controls are quite precise but you will, on occasion, miss your intended target and ruin what could have been a really sweet combo.

As with any good game in this colour-matching genre, the simplistic game-play finds an added level of strategy with the introduction of power-ups which allow you to rewind, slow and stop the procession of bugs as well as a wildbug which will match with any colour of bug it’s thrown at. On the earlier levels these power-ups are not essential at all, as the level can easily be completed before the bugs are in danger of dropping into the hole at the end of the path. As you work your way through the 78 levels on offer, however, the more complicated paths will find you aiming for the power-ups to help you on your quest.

The graphics on show are more than a match for anything you find on a larger screen. Everything is clear and easy to see, as well as being an eye-catching experience. The music that plays during the game has a kind of jungle flavour to it and is pleasant,  but should this become annoying there is the option to switch this off and listen to the songs you have stored on your iPhone. 

I did have one niggle with the game, though, aside for the occasional control issue when your bugball misses its mark. The “How to Play” section of the manual seems to give you a comic book style story instead of any instructions on how to play – although, to be fair, the controls didn’t take long to figure (or finger) out.

That being said, there’s nothing else wrong with this title. It’s already proved immensely popular as a web game, and now there’s the added portability of having it on your phone as well. It ports well to the iPhone, is simple to control, easy to pick up and almost impossible to put down. It’s pretty darn good, in fact.