The name of the game pretty much sums it up; it’s amazing and you break things. What more could you possibly want? In this brilliant new destruction-puzzler from Dekovir you must launch bombs at gorgeously constructed ice-sculptures in an attempt to wipe them out. Sounds simple enough and in terms of “pick up and play” it certainly is. The challenge, and the fun, comes in mastering the different types of bombs to get the highest score on each stage and destroying every last shard of ice.
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| One of the most visually striking iPhone games ever? |
There’s something satisfying about being an agent of destruction (albeit in this case one who breaks little ice-sculptures on their iOS device) and it’s a big reason, I think, why games like Angry Birds do so well. Amazing Breaker taps into this primal facet of the human psyche and lets you unleash wanton destruction on beautifully designed constructs of ice. There are four types of bombs in your arsenal and mastering how to use each one is the key to success. The Spike bomb is the simplest; just launch it and it will stick to the first piece of ice it comes into contact with. The Split bomb, as the name suggests, will split into three smaller bombs after you tap the screen post-launch. The thing to remember about the Split bomb is that the smaller bombs will not explode when they come into contact with ice but will rather embed themselves there. This serves a very useful function which we’ll explore later. Otherwise, don’t split the bomb and it will act just like a Spike bomb which can be very useful too. The next bomb you get to play with is the Helicopter bomb. It contains three smaller bombs within it which you deploy at your leisure (unlike the Split bomb which sends all three off at once). Finally, you have the Ghost bomb which can float through the ice, controlled by swiping your finger across the screen and detonating when it loses momentum.
As mentioned before, one of the great things about Amazing Breaker is the interplay between the various bombs. An exciting feature of the game is the ability to cause chain reactions with your embedded bombs. For example, set up a few Split bombs near some Helicopter bombs and they’ll be close enough to detonate in a chain when you set just one of them alight. This makes for some crazy explosions and mass destruction, and may even be required to finish the stage. Progression in the game comes from destroying 90 per cent or more of the stage, earning you one star. Two stars is 95 per cent or more and the only way to get the coveted three stars is to annihilate every last sliver of ice from existence.
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| Nothing like a frosty, cold beer |
Other entertaining features include: 80 stages from initial purchase (a bargain at only $0.99) so there is plenty of gameplay to keep you going with plans for more stages to be released soon, some of the most beautiful graphics ever seen in an iOS game, and some appropriately intense music. Where the fun, and the challenge, really becomes evident is in the Game Center integration. Not only does the game itself sport a huge number of achievement trophies but you can see how you rank amongst your friends and the world’s best. If that doesn’t motivate you to keep practicing for those three stars then nothing will.
So a massive number of stages, easy to play mechanics, challenging gameplay and beautiful to behold graphics all go a long way to making this game a bit of a hidden gem. A great game for young and old alike with a range of difficulties for all-comers, Amazing Breaker is definitely worth checking out.
– Dom S
