Sploosh

A vast majority of iPhone games live and die based on two key issues: price and simplicity. Luckily there will always be a market for the Infinity Blades and Planets Vs. Zombies of the marketplace, but with so many to choose from what a lot of consumers want is fun, simple, cheap, and enjoyable games which you can load up and play for that tedious 30 minute train journey. This is why Sploosh has been created.

It’s a concept which is not foreign to the mobile marketplace – getting a liquid from the start to the end of each level – but it’s added a few unique twists which help it to raise its head above the ocean of its rival pick-up-and-play iPhone counterparts. You have more of an objective than just sloshing to the finish, you also have to touch every single inch of the walls to help planets grow, douse seeds to make flowers pop out, and if you’re a super completionist complete the levels in a certain time to gather all the stars. Plus, of course, as it is an iPhone game you must do all of this using all 360 degrees of the devices’ motion control technology.

Understand how rare an occurrence it is when I say that this works really well. Normally motion controls either feel half-assed and unnecessary or they destroy the whole flow of the game. Sploosh, on the other hand, is great fun to have with the motion control. You’re simply spinning the level round while the screen is facing you, and if you point the screen upwards the water physics switch, effectively, to anti-gravity mode where you can gain more control over its direction (if you’re skilled enough). Normally on this platform I have to dedicate a paragraph or so to why the controls DIDN’T work as well as I’d hoped. This time, however, they exceeded my expectations and I congratulate Spooky Moon for accomplishing that.

All of the above, blended with a beautiful and colourful setting, and a ukulele-style soundtrack, means I have no choice but to give Sploosh two thumbs up. It’s a well priced, thoroughly addictive, iPhone game which will certainly give you your money’s worth back in entertainment. Though there are only 12 levels being offered with it right now, more are going to be coming, trying to get all four stars on every stage will keep you coming back for far longer than you’d expect (I still can’t get all four on the 11th one!). Don’t buy this expecting it to change your world of mobile gaming; don’t even buy this because I’m telling you that you should; buy it because Sploosh will make you smile.