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AirBear Review for iPhone and iPod Touch

Posted by Marne Cales on Dec 1, 2009 at 10:39 pm | View Comments • Digg story
Filed Under: Games • Reviews • iPhone

AirBear Part Doodle Jump, part Ragdoll Blaster, with a little bit of a Toy Story vibe thrown in for good measure, AirBear is, oddly enough, wholly original. Your job, in this game from Origin8, is to help a floppy toy panda bear reach the top of a skyscraper or descend safely to the bottom of a well.

Review

AirBear features two modes of play; Homeward Bound and Endless Bound. The first is an adventure-type mode. Complete a level by collecting enough puzzle piece to unlock the next level. You’ll also need those puzzle pieces to unlock the up and down versions of the endless mode.

Using strange, blue goo, and swiping the screen with your finger, you create trampolines for your panda bear to bounce increasingly higher. Tap his head and give him a beanie cap with a propeller to slow his descent. Hitting a bomb will cause it to explode and your panda will lose a limb. Gruesome! Lose them all, and your panda dies. Collecting bamboo rings will restore your limbs and replenish your supply of goo. The ultimate goal in the Homeward Bound mode, however, is to pop the bubbles containing puzzle pieces, and catch the puzzle pieces as they fall. Collect all the pieces to complete the puzzle and you’ll be awarded a hat with special powers.

This game is definitely addicting, as you attempt to get higher (or lower) and collect more rings and more puzzle pieces. Controls are nice and smooth, and the graphics are cute and colorful. The bouncy soundtrack is a nice accompaniment. With easy, medium, and hard difficulties, there’s plenty to keep you challenged for a good long time.

AirBear is part of the OpenFeint network, so there are lots of awards to win and brag about.

Tips
1. Don’t stretch the goo too much, or it will break and your panda will fall through! Try angling it to avoid bombs and pick up rings.
2. When you pop a bubble and release a puzzle piece, try to bounce it off the goo to help your panda catch it.

Recommendation

AirBear is a very polished, fun game, and worth checking out. It’s just $1.99 in the app store.

Gameplay Video

Photos