Who doesn’t like some good, old fashioned bubble shooting fun? It wasn’t long after touch screens began appearing in smartphones that developers quickly launched handfuls of bubble-shooting games to play on them. Let’s face it: the touchscreen display is great for quick point and shoot games. But how does a game stand out these days in the midst of a saturated market? Bubble Magic 3D: Frog Princess dares to enter the market with a refined and redesigned rendition of the classic bubble-shooting game in an attempt to offer players a fresh experience.
Available for free on Apple’s App Store, Bubble Magic 3D: Frog Princess tells the story of a young princess who is transformed into a frog. The player must make their way through the vast world unlocking new levels, areas, abilities and more on their way to curing the princess of her froggy condition.
The player encounters countless levels of bubble-bursting magic in which they will utilize familiar strategies to complete each puzzle. Players shoot a matching-colored bubble at clusters of coinciding colored bubbles to destroy them. Knock enough bubbles down and you complete the level. Players that use their ammo carefully can rack up a huge amount of points by taking out more bubbles in fewer turns, having extra bubbles to shoot and using other in-game unlockables.
Speaking of unlockables, Bubble Magic 3D: Frog Princess offers a vast in-game store thats full of goodies that will help players get the advantage they'll need on the tougher puzzles. Unfortunately, these tend to cost players real life money, which in all fairness is the norm today, but can still be looked upon negatively by some players. However, the progression in which these unlockables become available is timed perfectly, making the player feel like they’re accomplishing something along their journey to save the princess.
One aspect of Bubble Magic 3D that's worth taking note of is its overall presentation quality. This app looks fantastic and runs great. I played and reviewed the game on the original iPad mini, and I am happy to say that the 3D graphics and animations didn't cause any lag and didn’t appear to slow down my gameplay. The colors, characters, environments, menus and music are all executed very well. Even the bubbles look great. If you’re someone who likes bubble shooters but don't feel interested in the story of this particular game, do yourself a favor and ignore the theme and enjoy this great-looking app anyways.
The Wrap-up
The Good: The presentation quality of Bubble Magic 3D: Frog Princess is stellar. A great combination of classic game mechanics mixed with a fresh coat of paint make for a fun playthrough.
The Bad: The in-app purchases may turn some players off and negatively impact their experience.
The Verdict: Overall, Bubble Magic 3D: Frog Princess is a great example of using an older game mechanic and recreating it for players both young and old. If you’re a fan of bubble shooter classics, then you need to check out Bubble Magic 3D. The game is free and available for iOS devices on the App Store. Check it out and let us know what you think in the comments!