‘Pudding Monsters’ for iOS and Android game review

In Pudding Monsters, you have to slide around the monsters on a surface with a grid. Your primary objective is to join all of them together to form one large pudding monster and secondary objective involves arranging and placing them directly over the three stars on the floor to collect them all.

To move the pudding monsters around, you just have to slide them. These monsters can only be slid vertically or horizontally along the grid. Once you move them, they won’t stop sliding until they hit an obstacle or another monster. If there is nothing in their path they will slide clean off the table, at which point the level restarts.

To play the game, you have to move these monsters around strategically, taking into considering the surroundings. When monsters touch each other they automatically fuse together and become inseparable. When all of them are combined the level ends. But that’s the easy part. If you want to move to the next area, you will need to collect enough stars. This is where things get interesting. You can arrange the monsters in any order you want as long as you cover all the stars on the floor.

Now there are several types of monsters. There is the garden variety, that can be moved around anywhere. There is one that is dormant and cannot be moved, until you fuse it with a standard monster. There’s one that leaves a trail of green goo on the floor, which produces enough friction for the monsters to stop sliding when they cross it instead of sliding off the table. Another variety only movies in packs, i.e., you move one and the other similar ones move in the same direction. They change color and ability when fused with other monsters. Lastly, there is one that’s just an eyeball, that has to be moved over a pudding to gain a body.

The overall gameplay if fairly challenging. The various, rules and abilities of the monsters keep the game involving. Most of the puzzles are too easy, making you breeze through them in a few seconds. Some leave you scratching your head for a long time, figuring out every move several times until you find the answer. And I’m talking about gathering all three stars here. Without that the game has no challenge.

Currently, Pudding Monsters has 75 levels in total, which, if you’re particularly resolute, can be completed in a day the way I did, with all the stars. The developers have announced that more levels will be arriving in future.

As with most games these days, Pudding Monsters also has an in-app purchasing model in place. If you’re stuck with a level, you can press a button and instantly complete it with three stars. You get one of these superpowers by default but you can purchase more using the IAP system.

On iOS, Pudding Monsters is available in two versions, one for the iPhone/iPod touch and the other for the iPad, both of which are priced the same. It’s a shame that the developers did not make it a universal app, but the low price means it’s not that big a deal even if you have to purchase it again.

On Android, there are two versions again. The standard one is free but with ads and the HD version is paid, which other than the lack of ads, is similar to the standard version. Now ads in a free game are not that big a deal but the developers of Pudding Monsters have gone the extra mile to make them absolutely frustrating, so you end up buying the paid version out of annoyance. Not only do you get ads at the bottom of the screen during the menus (which are fine), the game pauses between levels to show you a fullscreen ad, that you have to manually dismiss every time.

Visuals and Sound

Both the Cut the Rope games are known for their excellent 2D animation. The main character, in particular, had a range of ridiculously adorable animations, which made the games that much better. Pudding Monsters is no different. The game looks stunning, with a lively color palette and pretty shapes. And the character animations are once again top-notch.

The pudding monsters constantly react to their surroundings. You can see them moving their eyeballs in the direction of your moves. It’s especially fun to see them cringe regretfully every time one of their own slides off a table. If you don’t move them for a while, they just starts swaying to the background music. It’s all very well done and kids especially will love this.

The background music in this game is fairly decent. It’s not as catchy as the music in Cut the Rope, but it’s fine nonetheless. The sound effects are done well, especially the gibberish that the monsters speak.

Verdict

Pudding Monsters is a fun and amusing game that is going to be a hit with the kids. The challenge and difficulty level is just enough for them to play without being overwhelmed. Adults might find it a bit too easy at times and that’s about the only major complaint with the game. Otherwise, for a dollar, Pudding Monsters offers plenty of fun and entertainment.

Rating: 8/10
Pros: Fun and innovative gameplay, lovable animation style and visuals
Cons: Most levels are too easy

Download: iOS: iPhone / iPad | Android: Free / HD