Bouncing Journey: the little ball that could [Review]

Summary –

Bouncing Journey is the story of a blue ball (apparently his name is Zhee) that is intent on rescuing the princess ball who was captured by the evil squares. On this journey, you will help Zhee collect stars, defeat squares, and make is way through the maze-like levels to rescue his fair maiden.

Developer: Lohf-Zigomard Productions

Highlights

• Free to download (supported by ads between levels)
• Exceptional physics engine
• Vibrant colors

Setup –

Setup is fairly straight forward. Download the application from Google Play and launch (no Google Play Games integration). The download is pretty large for not requiring wifi (184MB) but depending on your data plan it may not be a big deal.

Impression –

Have you ever wanted to turn into a ball and travel through the world rolling on trampolines that randomly toss you into the air? If you have, Bouncing Journey is for you; if not, then you can enjoy being the god that tosses the ball (Zhee) in whatever direction you please.

The gameplay experience is wonderful. The controls are responsive and the physics are great. Things fall as you expect and bounce, or not, appropriately on surfaces. The first level quickly tells the story of the princess getting kidnapped and Zhee being dropped into a dungeon from which he must escape to rescue her.

Five worlds to play through

There are two objectives to each level; collecting all of the stars and finding the finish line. The stars (like many other games) are a rating of how well you complete each level. The stars become increasingly difficult to get to get as the levels progress. Unfortunately, there is no advantage to collecting all the stars; I would love to see something added here to make it worth my while to collect them.

Getting to the finish line is the main goal of each level. When you reach the end of the level the square that holds the princess is there to taunt you and continues his escape with the princess (he is a cheater – he can fly).

Falling from the sky

Unfortunately, the graphics are the major letdown. While they have included bright, vibrant colors the graphic style used here is sub-par. If these were tuned up and refined this could make this game a must play.

Likes:

• Bright colors
• Great physics

Dislikes:

• Graphics could use refinement
• Limited depth
• Stars are not beneficial

Conclusion –

Bouncing Journey is an entertaining game with complexity, dungeons, and great physics. Improving the graphics and adding some reward for collecting stars would move this game to another level. If you feel like helping Zhee rescue his princess please download and give Bouncing Journey a shot.