Even though most arcade games on the app store are good to play during downtime, some of them offer other types of modes besides a quick game to keep you attached and wanting to come back for more. Those which do only have an arcade mode have to bring unique and challenging gameplay for it to be interesting enough to play more than a few times. Gambet Studio has attempted just that with their newest release Plingi Juggle (Free, App Store Link) for iOS.
Overview
In Plingi Juggle, the goal of the game is to get all the berries that fall down from the tree onto the spider web then into a bucket. You have to juggle multiple berries at a time and of course the pace of the gameplay picks up the longer you last. There is a lot of multitasking going on, which seems like the only part of the game that keeps the user interested. Plingi Juggle is a pretty straightforward game, so it may get repetitive pretty fast. You only have so many berries to work with. If you drop three, the game ends and you have to start over.
Gameplay
Even in some arcade games, the more you progress, the more new features you gain such as added worlds, levels, or game mechanics. That’s not the case in Plingi Juggle, however. There aren’t any new levels or even any sort of presentation that some other arcade apps offer.
The more berries you get in the bucket, the more achievements you can eventually unlock, which will help you gain extra lives. You can get 2 more berries by scoring all achievements or 1 more by scoring three or more achievements. If you prefer, you can also purchase 4 lives for $0.99 through in-app-purchases.
Controls
The controls and presentation of Plingi Juggle are pretty basic as well. All it really is in a nutshell is moving your web from left to right. I think it would have been a welcoming addition to add the ability to swipe across the screen or enabling the accelerometer, besides pressing on either side of the screen.
I have noticed in some cases that the game may lag a bit if you keep pressing on either the left or right side of the screen. At times this can cause you to not be able to keep up with the gameplay and thus, berries may end up dropping.
Overall
There are a few options within Plingi Juggle, which let you share your high score on Twitter, Facebook, or through Game Center as does any other game on the app store. Even though Plingi Juggle is addictive and of course free, there needs to be something more that sets the game apart from other arcade games on the app store. All Plingi Juggle seems to boil down to is carrying berries to a bucket.
I’m sure even something like more of an in-depth story mode would make the game more interesting. Plingi Juggle just seems like a game that someone would get tired of pretty quickly given the simplicity of the gameplay and presentation as a whole. Overall, Plingi Juggle is a hit or miss depending on how much of a challenge the game is to you. Once you first play it and get into it, it’s pretty addictive, but that dies off a bit fast.
Price: Free, App Store Link
Rating: 3/5[rating:3]
Pros:
- Challenging gameplay
- Interactive leaderboards
Cons:
- No new levels or stages
- Little else to offer
