Arctic Shuffle Review

What do you get when you have ice curling, then mix in some mini-golf, exploding penguins and finally cloning devices? You get Arctic Shuffle of course, a fun little arcade game that’s out now on the App Store.

The penguin starts off on a set area, where you drag your finger back like a slingshot, so the direction you pull back affects where the penguin flies, while how far your finger is away from the penguin affects its velocity. Still, you have to look out for obstacles that block, bounce, drown and destroy your precious penguin. Some of the elements found in the game can be used to your advantage, such as the speed pads which will boost your penguin in a certain direction, or blocks which you can use to bounce your penguin off of. Other elements such as saw blades and saw blades will mean good-bye to your penguin if you hit them.

There are 72 levels, with more set in future updates, each with a different twist that force the user to think and manipulate the environment to land the penguin in the target. The first few levels are pretty easy and boring, but once you get farther in the game, the levels quickly get progressively more challenging. The gameplay is pretty solid, but once the levels are beaten, there’s not that much that will make you go back to this game.

If there were different ways to play the game like a timed mode, or statistics that were kept, such as the number of penguins used (each level gives you 5, unless you get a cloning machine!), then the life of the game would possibly be extended. Still, Arctic Shuffle is a fun little puzzler that will keep you going for the 72 levels that are currently available.

The penguins in this game are pretty cute, and there is a lighthearted approach to the overall style of the game. The artwork is crisp and well done, with good quality animations, making the game great to look at while playing. The sounds of the game aren’t extraordinary, but they do have a catchy tune and sound effects.

Arctic Shuffle is a fun loving game, which will make some players wrack their brain trying to find the solution, but it’s a bit short, and would benefit from more ways to play the game, and stat tracking. For those unsure, there’s a lite version which features 20 levels for you to play, which will hopefully give you a good taste of what the game is like. At $2.99, it’s a bit pricey for my tastes, but the game offers players a good time trying to overcome all of the presented obstacles, and will be entertaining for however long it lasts you.

The Good

Original music and artwork
Great puzzling game
Charming tone to the game

The Bad

Needs more game modes
First few levels are unspectacular
More levels would be welcome.

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Tagged as: Arctic Shuffle zinc Roe Penguins Arcade iPod Touch iPhone App Store