![]() Although each level is laid out differently, it feels like you’re doing the same thing over and over: placing bombs in locations that you think will work and hoping they do the job. As nice as that freedom is, the game play does get repetitive pretty quickly. Rather than relying on any sort of predestined paths, you have full control over where the bombs are placed and therefore, where the monsters go. Paper Muncher’s physics are rather impressive. The sheer addictiveness is truly impressive, and earns the otherwise very simple-looking game a B+ rating. As a free game, it’s a lot of fun and a good way to kill a few minutes here and there. Additionally, as there’s no final floor, you keep playing for as long as you like the replay value is high. ![]() Sound effects are basic, with lots of doorbells and cash registers throughout. You may well start humming along without even knowing it. ![]() The simple, elevator music soundtrack is just as catchy as the gameplay, and is quite appropriate. All of the characters are variations on the same few sprites, although identifiable when necessary. ![]() Tiny Tower uses simple pixelated graphics that work well for this sort of casual game. For those that are going to be investing a lot of time and energy into Tiny Tower, it’s nice to have the option to speed things up a bit. It’s not required, and except for the “wait around” pace, the game doesn’t change if you don’t spend real-world cash. While playing, you’ll earn Tower Bux which can speed up tasks such as restocking shops or building new floors, and this is where Nimble Bit makes its money on the “free” game: you can buy more Bux via in-app purchase. Every few seconds, a visitor shows up at the building and it’s your job to get him or her to the desired floor by controlling the elevator with a simple up/down button. The formula is surprisingly addicting a quick glance at the building can easily turn into a half-hour excursion. Since there’s no “beating” the game, there’s an almost unlimited replay factor, bounded only by the repetitiveness of the artwork and audio. It’s a fun, casual word game that can be played on your own time, and as much or as little as you choose. The $2 price of the full version is introductory, and it looks like the final price will be $3 or $4, which leads to a flat B rating and general recommendation for Hanging With Friends. It’s fully playable, but the ads between each move quickly become annoying. For those who want to play the game but are willing to put up with ads, Hanging With Friends Free is also available. A big part of the title’s appeal is being able to have multiple games going at once-up to 20. Each button press has an associated sound effect, and there are noises for right and wrong guesses, but that’s pretty much it on the audio side. Zynga’s soundtrack is also pretty limited, using a simple repeating rhythm over the sound of the volcano gurgling in the background. The 2-D graphics are cartoony, but nicely drawn we would have appreciated more backgrounds than the one that’s included, an Easter Island-like setting with an erupting volcano. Failing to solve the word results in one strike five strikes end the game. Three different types of “lifelines” are available for purchase using in-game coins that are earned by correctly deducing letters: “Suspects” highlights four letters, one of which is in the word, “Extinguish” removes four incorrect tiles, and “Revive” removes one strike. When you’re guessing your opponent’s word, you’ll see a series of question mark tiles in which the last vowel is always revealed, and you’re permitted a varying number of strikes depending on the length of the word. One space in each word doubles or triples the value of one letter or the entire word any word’s acceptable so long as it’s in the game‘s dictionary. In Hanging With Friends, each player has to choose a word-minimum four letters, maximum eight-using 12 randomly distributed tiles, then attempt to guess a word chosen by the other player. As with its predecessor, you can play online against friends or random opponents, or with two local players in a pass-and-play mode there’s no CPU-based AI player, but there’s an optional text chat mode for simultaneous discussions. Zynga’s Hanging With Friends (version 4.05, $2*) is the follow-up to the popular Words With Friends, a turn-based, asynchronous multiplayer Scrabble variant that led to this similarly-structured Hangman-style word game.
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