You know a smartphone game has done well when it gets some attention from Hollywood. It happened to, and now it's happened to.Fruit Ninja: Puss in Boots is a tie-in with DreamWorks's Shrek spin-off, which adds feline tomfoolery and a few new skins to the already familiar fruit-destroying action.But has it done enough to make fruit-slicing addicts want to shell out again, or should it have been left at the bottom of the tree to be digested by wasps and flies? Knee deep in melon corpsesFor those of you who haven't played Fruit Ninja before, the aim is simple. Fruit bounces around the screen, and you have to slice it into pieces using your finger. If it falls off the screen before you've hacked it you lose a life.You get bonuses for slashing multiple pieces at once, as well as for randomly allocated critical hits.
As the Feline Fencer, you can use your finger to swipe melons, apples and assorted produce in a classic 'Fruit Ninja' game, redubbed.
Those expecting to just wiggle a finger around the screen to achieve a high score won't last long, as the game throws bombs into the mix as well. Slash a bomb and it's an instant Game Over.There are no real tactics to the game - it's more about concentration and precision. Magic beans also fly across the screen from time to time, and if you manage to slice one of those you'll get a slew of bonus points or a precious, precious extra life. Fruit machineIn some respects, Fruit Ninja: Puss in Boots isn't as complete an experience as the original.
For example, there are only two modes, and one of them is basically the same as the classic Fruit Ninja. There's no multiplayer, either, which is a shame.However, it does introduce Bandito mode, which is a brilliant new addition to the Fruit Ninja canon, with more than a whiff of Namco's classic Point Blank lightgun games about it. Here, you face three levels of four randomly allocated challenges, and then an an epic finale.The challenges all involve slicing fruit, but each has its own ingenious twist. With some you'll have to carefully slice lemons floating in rings of bombs, while others see you slashing at apples that are hidden behind shutters for most of the time. You even have to play keepy uppy with a coconut. Hack and splashThere are new backdrops and weapons to unlock, as well as an extensive leaderboard that lets you show off to your friends, and plenty of achievements as well.
But the game still feels like it's missing something.Fruit Ninja: Puss in Boots is a mixed proposition. It's still incredibly enjoyable and addictive, and the inclusion of Bandito mode means that if you have any interest in fruit ninja-ing, you should think about picking it up.But it can't quite shake off the shackles of its flimsy film connection. Had this been an update or an upgrade, then we'd have welcomed it with open arms, but there's not quite enough content here to fully justify another purchase.
After Angry Birds teamed up with Rio for a, it seems only natural for another app-movie mash-up, this time from our pals at Halfbrick. Brings you more of the you’ve come to expect, but with a few other twists.Now, I haven’t seen the movie (which comes out on Friday) and I’m not even sure if I will or not — I really loved the first Shrek movie but, in my opinion, it really started going downhill after that. Even so, Puss in Boots was a fun character and his swashbuckling seems a perfect fit for this game.There are two modes in the game: Desperado and Bandito.
Desperado is much like the original “Classic” game: fruits and bombs fly up on to the screen, and you slash as many fruit as you can while avoiding the bombs. As with the original, you start with three lives, and lose one each time you miss a fruit and it falls off the bottom of the screen.
Also, if you hit a bomb, the game is immediately over. The difference in this version is that, rather than regaining lost lives after every hundred points, there are Magic Beans which fly across the screen from time to time. Each bean is worth 25 points, and if you’re down any lives they will give you one back.
(The Magic Beans are apparently related to the plot of the movie.). Bandito mode: Slash your way through 12 challenges, and then the finale.Bandito mode is a new mode which is exclusive to the Puss in Boots version. There are four Acts, each with four challenges, leading up to the Finale. The challenges are randomized each time you play, but are very short mini-games, some lasting around 10 seconds or so. There’s usually some combination of bombs and fruit, and you have a minimum number to slash to pass the level (without hitting any bombs, of course).For example, one type of challenge is similar to a falling-block game, with fruits and bombs dropping down into a grid. Slash as many fruit as you can without hitting a bomb in the time allotted.
Another gives you a giant mega-fruit, which splits into two smaller versions of itself each time, until the pieces are normal-sized. Your goal is to slash it down to nothing without hitting the bombs. One type of challenges has windows that open and shut, revealing either bombs or fruit behind them.For each challenge, your score is based on three things: the number of fruit slashed, the number of swipes per fruit, and reflex time.
The more fruit you get over the required number, the higher your score. Getting more combos (and fewer misses) increases your swipes score.
Finally, you get a score based on the speed of your first hit. You get three lives for all three Acts, after which is a finale challenge.As with the original game, there are various achievements to be earned and some fancy swords and backgrounds to unlock.
(I’m partial to the cat’s claw myself.) Puss in Boots makes little comments as you play (“Holy Frijoles!” and “Like a Ninja!”) though you have the option to turn the voice off if you grow weary of it. Also, the tomato, apparently a much-requested fruit, finally makes an appearance. No telling yet if it’ll show up in the original version.If you’re a fan of Fruit Ninja, whether or not you care for Puss in Boots, this is a fun variation on the theme. I think I still like the original better for the variety of modes, but the Bandito is a fun spin on the game and my kids think Puss’ comments are pretty funny.
The, and the. Currently the two versions are the same, although based on the original I wouldn’t be surprised if the HD version ends up with a two-player split-screen mode later on. (I played the iPhone version at 2x on my iPad, and it looked pretty nice that way as well.) Of course, if you haven’t gotten the original already, what are you waiting for?Check out the trailer below for a little more of the game in action:Disclosure: GeekDad received a review code for this app. Gold Level Patrons: Chris Spires, Doug Smidebush, Lior Keinan, Kelvin Nduka, Thad Standley, Nolan Zak, Adam Franks, Stephen Brown, Loren Roberts, Matt and Nykki Boersma, Tom Morgan, Jack Everitt, John Kovalic, Seiler Hagan, Jess Hart, Will James, Christopher M.
Kelly, Roberto L. Vargas, Michele Hall, Chuck Lawton, Ismael Schonhorst, (There are those who call him) Tim, Vladimir Weinstein, Randiman Rogers, Robert Booth, Henry Roenke, Kevin Culp, W. David MacKenzie, Nicholas Richards, John Idlor, Michael Fox, Rob H., Matthew Cody, Dan Callahan, Patrick Kohn, Seth Phillips, Kevin Korpi, Ben MS, Monica, Mark Gonyea, Pharlain Ross, Derick Larson,Additional Patrons.