iPhone Review: Implode!

Developer/Publisher: IUGO Mobile Entertainment
Genre: Puzzle
Price: $1.99
Acquired: Review Copy Provided
Verdict: This game is ‘da bomb’
Pros: Creative level design, and fun replay quotient. How low can you go ?
Cons: It’s a casual endeavor, so hardcore gamers may not get enough bang for their buck.

At the risk of showing my age, I loved playing with blocks as a kid. It was great fun to pile them up and see how big a tower I could pull off. It was equally fun to smash my creation, and send the blocks flying. Implode!, the new gamefor iPhone and iPod Touch made me a bit nostalgic for my blocks. Developer IUGO has really tapped into my inner – destructive – child, and given it something fun to play with. Yeah, this game’s a bit like running with scissors: Potentially hazardous, but tons of fun.

Fire up Implode! and you’ll see a tower made of various blocks displayed on a chalkboard. At the bottom of the screen you’ll discover your cache of virtual dynamite. You need to decide where to strategically place the explosive payload so as to make the rubble settle as flat as possible. Place the explosives, press the plunger, and boom goes the dynamite.

The game is scored on two primary principles. Each project has a minimum level you must reach with the fallen building blocks. Fail to achieve that level, and you must retry the project again. And again. And again; or so I’ve heard. The second scoring factor is how much dynamite you use to bring down the tower. Just because you are provided with five bundles of dynamite doesn’t mean you have to use it all. I know it can be frustrating to get those mid-range results, but trust me, kids, a little restraint may go a long way towards upping your score.

I have discovered that my grade for certain levels is often higher when I use less dynamite, but leave a higher pile of rubble versus going all Wile E. Coyote, and using everything I’m given to get that building just a bit lower. As you progress you’ll be given bundles of dynamite, and powder kegs, which do considerably more damage.

Each level consists of ten projects. Clear the designated projects for the current stage, and the next wave of destruction is unlocked. In later levels you will not only need to knock down your own tower, but keep the bits from falling into neighboring buildings. The Record screen kept track of the number of buildings I demolished, my dollar total earned, and how many perfect implosions were achieved. Later in the game you will be able to brag online, but apparently only after you’ve truly earned that hardhat.

I feel it is my responsibility to warn you now. Implode! is a bit addictive. Implode! may cause you to lose sleep, miss appointments, and forget to walk the dog. ‘Can I cheat that bomb just a bit to the right and get more English from the falling bits ? Maybe.’ To be certain, Implode is one of those games that’s easy to pick up, but very hard to put down.