Something tells us we're going to see a lot of tilt-based iPhone games with cutesy characters, cartoonish levels, and a clear debt to PSP puzzler
LocoRoco.
That's not necessarily a bad thing, as long as the games are fun in their own right, rather than pure homages. Thankfully,
Dizzy Bee sets a good standard, being among the funnest iPhone launch games.
As canny readers will have spotted from the name, the game sees you playing a cuddly bee who spends his time flying around levels collecting flowers and fruit, while avoiding enemies on his way to the exit.
The idea is to score maximum points by collecting all the flowers, rescuing all the fruit, and ushering them through the exit as close to one another as possible. You're graded on how well you do all of those, with medals of varying colours rewarding your performance. The game offers several islands to complete, each with a bunch of levels.
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So how does it work? You move your bee by tilting the iPhone forwards, backwards, left and right. It works very well, calibrated so you can still see the screen even while tilting.
It's easy in the early levels, but the difficulty gradually ramps up. For example, some enemies move around based on your tilting too, meaning that you're having to gauge how your movements will affect them, as well as your bee and any rescued fruit (they tag along with him until they reach the exit). Other enemies move on their own patterns, meaning you have to think about how to sneak past them.
Meanwhile, there are various obstacles in the levels, which can act as a help or hindrance, depending on your situation. Fans, balls, gates... they're all introduced as you play through the game, to keep you interested.
All things considered, it's a great game. The graphics have real charm and a style of their own, while the way you're graded for each level encourages you to come back to nail the top trophy (as does the talk of a secret island to explore if your grades are good enough).
Thankfully, the learning curve is pitched about right to ensure that you don't race through the entire game without facing a challenge, but don't get easily frustrated either.
The subject material and treatment might make
Dizzy Bee seem like a game for younger iPhone owners (are there any?), but its polished look and feel, smooth controls and all-round charm - not to mention its low price - mean it deserves a place on older gamers' handsets too.
