|
Our local playground is a small version of the beach. Filled with slides, ladders, and free flowing sand, I recently found myself in the middle of a digging contest. Why 15 children were having a race to see who could dig the deepest hole was not clear, especially since the playground had a haze of suspended particles. There were boys on one side of swings, girls nearby, little tottlers mashing their brightly colored shoes into the pile of removed sand, and the neighborhood pooch going full speed thinking it just might be as fun as uprooting Mr. Wilson's flowerbed. After a good breeze cleared the air, the kids accused each other of cheating, and then ran to their respective parent for juice.
The undisputed champion of sand and excitement is Douglas Beck. His latest game, Bust'em, has both of these qualities. Featuring smart updates to the classic game of breakout, the variety of new items added includes pizza like slices taking bites out of the wall, and up and down arrows directly affecting the amount of free room available to move the paddle. Add in a touch of atomic fission and the ball in play rapidly multiplies and moves so fast the level is complete within a split second. Just make sure to keep at least one ball in play to stay alive during all this excitement, or you will find yourself stuck in a pile of sand (tiny block debris), unable to return the ball.?
Once gameplay starts, it is difficult at best to stop playing, so keep the battery charger plugged in! There is the promise of game cheats and secrets mentioned about a quarter of the way in, but Beck has strategically saved this candy for those who eat all their vegetables by finishing all the levels first. Thank goodness the game lets the player choose from any completed levels to start, so maybe getting to level 100 will not be such a difficult task.
Bust'em is available from Digital
Concepts for $16.99
|
