Game Reviews

Fuzzies

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Fuzzies
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The monkey has emerged as the go-to creature for games developers seeking an instant injection of charm into their games. On iPhone you can swing 'em, roll 'em, pop balloons with 'em, enter space with 'em, build precarious bridges for 'em and even be a member of the Rastafarian movement with 'em.

So let's hear it for the monkey - the swiss army knife of lovable video game characters.

Now Fuzzies adds a new one to the list: you can rip off a classic puzzle franchise with 'em.

Old-fashioned lemming aid

If you're old enough to remember a time before gaming became synonymous with the PlayStation brand, you'll no doubt be familiar with Lemmings from DMA (the company that went on to make the original Grand Theft Auto).

It saw you guiding a posse of suicidal critters to safety by assigning them varied tasks, such as digging through barriers or blocking off dangerous areas.

Fuzzies takes this template, replaces the lemmings with monkeys, and streamlines things for play on a 3.5-inch touchscreen.

It does a reasonable job of welcoming you in, walking you through the early stages so that you gain firsthand experience of assigning each of the eight monkey professions to your fuzzy minions.

These professions range from simple diggers to parachutists and even stair builders. Each job is designed to overcome a particular type of environmental obstacle, and can be activated a limited number of times by tapping the appropriate icon followed by the desired monkey (I beg your pardon - ed).

Fuzzy controls

Things get tricky when you have to quickly assign separate tasks to different monkeys on opposite ends of the screen. Unsurprisingly, this is where one or two control deficiencies rear their ugly heads.

It can be tough to assign individual monkeys tasks in the heat of the moment, with the game requiring too much of a deliberate press rather than allowing for a light stab of the finger.

This can lead to a few too many frustrating deaths as monkeys plummet off cliff edges when in fact you could swear that you assigned them a parachute in time.

With such a demanding control system and the necessity for trial and error gameplay, it's mystifying that there's no instant restart option. Instead, you need to either quit out and re-enter the level from the title screen, or kill all you monkeys before opting to try again.

Fuzzy logic

We'd also suggest that at only 28 levels long, Fuzzies is hardly going to offer a lasting puzzle experience - particularly with its complete lack of alternative and multiplayer modes. You won't even find an online high score element here.

Still, while it lasts Fuzzies offers a pleasantly old skool brand of fun, and one that requires quick wits and the ability to multitask. It may not match the level of fiendish ingenuity of its obvious inspiration, but it's a worthy and accessible tribute nonetheless.

Fuzzies

Fuzzies is a decent tribute to the classic puzzler Lemmings, spoiled by a couple design deficiencies and a lack of content
Score
Jon Mundy
Jon Mundy
Jon is a consummate expert in adventure, action, and sports games. Which is just as well, as in real life he's timid, lazy, and unfit. It's amazing how these things even themselves out.