Dizzypad review

Nimblebits, makers of the supremely popular Pocket Frogs, has made a name for itself by offering quality and free casual games. Their latest offering, Dizzypad, is no exception to this high standard. Playing something like a combination of Pocket Frogs and Doodle Jump, Dizzypad is an addictive game that makes the most of its one-tap play mechanism.

You start off with a single frog sitting on a rotating lily pad. Nearby are other lily pads, all rotating in different directions and at different rates. A small arrow indicates the direction of the frog, and tapping the screen causes the frog to launch itself into whatever direction it might be facing at that moment. The goal is to jump to the other nearby lily pads and avoid falling into the water, creating an uneven, but upwards path across the pond.

Jumping from lily pad to lily pad is trickier than it looks, since it requires fairly precise timing, and you have only a limited number of tries. Along the right side are lotus flowers representing how many lives you have left. Fall into the water and you lose a life, but if you manage to skip a lily pad and jump to the next furthest one, you earn a new life.

Visually, the game is effectively identical to the pond sections of Pocket Frogs, utilizing the same high-quality frog skins and detailed environments. Overall, Dizzypad looks pretty sharp, but there have been no original additions to the graphic design. You start off with a single frog skin, but as you progress through the game, you can unlock new ones. The unlockable skins should look very familiar if you’ve played Pocket Frogs previously, but they’re a concrete goal to work towards, particularly since the gameplay itself is very repetitive.

Each pond is randomly generated, with plenty of lovely ambiance provided by the rippling water and buzzing dragonflies, very much in the vein of Koi Pond. This makes it perfect for folks looking for more relaxed gaming experience, but the serene setting doesn’t offer much by way of variety, which is either a good or bad thing, depending on your mood. There is no timer to worry about, and lily pads are basically identical from screen to screen, but appreciated the slower pace, since it provides a very relaxed and peaceful experience. All you have to worry about is mastering the delicate timing needed to keep your frog from making its final splash.

In addition to the unlockable frog skins, there are also Game Center achievements and global leaderboards to keep you motivated to chase that high score, but the game itself is really quite addictive and you may find yourself sucked into a zen-like trance as you leap from lily pad to lily pad, appreciating the simple nature of the frog.

Here is a video demo of the Dizzypad app on the iPhone

AppSafari Rating: 4/5

AppSafari review of Dizzypad was written by Tracy Yonemoto on December 21st, 2010 and categorized under Action, App Store, Free, Fun, Games, iPad apps. Page viewed 8529 times, 2 so far today. Need help on using these apps? Please read the Help Page.