A Barrell Full... – Monkeyrama Review

*I've had so much fun with Monkeyrama, I wrote these detailed impressions over on Touch Arcade* Very Satisfying! If you are on the fence, grab a tree limb, a 6-pack of bananas and jump on over. This is not, I repeat THIS IS NOT just some slapped together Unity assets. Yes it is developed with Unity but this developer has put together many very well thought out levels, some fairly easy to get you into the groove, most are perfectly balanced, and some are fiendishly challenging, to where, if done just right, you might just skim by with the hair on your primate bottom barely intact. I'm a physics guy. So far, this game has been rock-solid in that department. Everything has consistently been even. The structures, bricks and blocks act like they should from the first level to the 30th level(that's where I'm at now). For me those are the "fun factor" of a game of this type. But wait there's more... There are also different monkey types with different attributes, and special blocks. These will be distributed throughout the course of the game and really add to the enjoyment/challenge overall. Apparently, there are special monkeys in limited supply (you start with three and if you use them they regenerate over time). These are for use when you might be really struggling with a particular level. I've not had to use one yet but it's nice to know they're there, just in case. Now on to the vital aspect of any touchscreen based game CONTROLS. They are implemented well here, for the most part. You simply swipe to move the camera perspective left or right, up or down; which rotates the game field in accordance. You tap the desired monkey on the bottom left to select the type you want for any given shot. Then you tap exactly where on screen you want the chosen money launched and KABOOM! Bricks and blocks start crumbling or exploding etc. There is no zoom in/out feature. This is actually not a negative feature, but I mention it because there have been two lonely times out of a couple hundred shots fired thus far in which for my exact shot perspective has not been able to be achieved because of lining it up just so, the monkey select icons on the bottom left have been in the way. I was able to improvise by panning the camera slightly up, but I still thought it worth mentioning. There are three episodes the first two containing 28 levels each and a third that is still locked until I've completed 10 levels from episode 2. Taking the game at its word of 84 total levels then there are 28 more in the third episode. There's no story here but there is plenty of character. The monkeys each have their own characteristics and the level environments have been carefully crafted with detail. Lush landscapes with trees, grass and insects fluttering around make the game a pleasure to look at: and fling monkeys from the apocalypse to destroy. For one dollar you really can't go wrong here. If you like the look of the game or the premise; buy it! No shenanigans, no in-apps, just a high-quality and fun game from a a single developer and his first game on the App Store. Very impressive.
Review by Rich_952000 on Monkeyrama.