Super Bunny Breakout Free iPad Review
2012 has seen many a moreish hybrid game crop up on the App Store: Shellrazer combined endless-running with blistering action, while 10000000 managed to combine match-three with RPG progression better than just about anyone else. Next up for the mixing machine is Super Bunny Breakout Free, the new game from Zynga and Atari that fuses Breakout with pinball, as well as a generous dollop of physics puzzling.
Your mission? To free an assortment of critters from a handful of laboratories, where they would otherwise suffer at the hands of terrible experimenters. To do this you'll have to choose from a host of hero creatures, then send them smashing around the devilishly designed environments while dodging the gloop that slows down your paddle.
As in Breakout, you launch your hero from the paddle, after which he bounces around the screen, gradually wearing down the objects that protect the caged critters. Once released from their cages, they fall towards freedom where you can grab them for bonus points. Smashing through objects such as chains unleashes the physics component of the game, as the rest of the lab rearranges itself.
There's no conventional use of lives on each attempt. Instead, if your hero falls beneath the bottom of the screen, they'll lose a little bit of life energy before appearing for a relaunch. Run out of life completely and you'll have to restart, although you can recharge them by feeding them food from the coin store, or you can just select another hero who's life bar has recharged naturally over time.
Another little meter fills up for your gallant creature during play and, once full, you can unleash a barrage of special attacks by swiping across it. Rodney, for example, goes into a pummeling fury if you activate his power, and he'll obliterate everything for a few precious seconds. Cactus fires off a series of prickles which take a little bit of health off many objects at once. The Marshmallow creature doubles in size to take out even the toughest opponents.
Once you've mastered the basics, you'll likely breeze through the game's 50 or so levels, but there's great replay value to be had from grabbing every critter, destroying every enemy unit, and getting the maximum three star award for each level. While it may be short and sweet, it's a fine collaborative effort from Atari and Zynga, and makes for some perfect lunch-time cannon fodder.
What's Hot: A great twist on the classic Breakout gameplay with some distinctive characters thrown in.
What's Not: It's a little short and, even when it's not covered in goo, the paddle can be a little stiff to maneuver.
4/5
