App Reviewed on: iPhone 3GS
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It’s weird to think – as someone from a completely different culture, anyway – that Pachinko is such a massive deal to so many people. Then again, the basic principle of bouncing a tiny ball around a vertical surface covered in pegs has made its way state-side through several means, including The Price is Right and everyone’s favorite puzzle-bouncer, Peggle. Bunny Cannon is another example of the (technically?) genre done well. Quite well, in fact.
When a young bunny can’t figure out where all his brothers, sisters, and friends actually come from, he starts asking questions. And like most children inquiring about the origins of their ilk, he gets a bunch of conflicting answers. Bunny Cannon represents his theory on reproduction based on this information; which is to say a large cannon launches boy and girl bunnies through the air to hopefully deposit them in a basket for “delivery.” The basic mechanics are very similar to most top-down ball launching games in that dragging on the screen sets the trajectory and shot strength. Things begin to differ greatly once the “ball” – or in this case, baby wabbit – is released. When opposing genders collide they *poof* into a jumble of even more bunnies, who in turn will *poof* into even more bunnies if they touch more stationary critters. Get enough of them into the basket/baskets and it’s on to the next level.
This “reproduction” mechanic adds a surprising amount to the tried and tested formula. Not only is it fun to see a massive chain reaction (i.e., Bunny-splosion) unfold, it also adds a bit of strategy to each stage. Sometimes there’s more than one basket, separated by gender. Sometimes a level might require all girl bunnies, but supply players with mostly boys and require them to carefully plan out their shots.
I ended up having a few problems with aiming, however. Mostly it was when I was trying to make smaller shots. See, the further someone places and drags their finger from the cannon, the stronger the shot. Where it becomes an issue is when taking weaker shots since fingers have to stay close to the big gun, but then fingers end up obscuring the angle indicator. I’m not sure how this could be addressed aside from possibly adjusting the distance needed to drag from the cannon, and the game is still functional enough as it is, but this can still be a problem from time-to-time.
It’s incredibly difficult not to have a good time with Bunny Cannon. It’s a familiar concept, sure, but it freshens it up quite a bit with some new ideas and mechanics. More importantly, no matter how anyone sees it it’s simply loads of fun to play.
Tagged with: $0.99, Bunny Cannon, Not Doppler, physics, physics based puzzles, physics game, physics hurler, physics puzzle, physics puzzler, physics-based