Smiling Rage: Expando Review
Breaking a Puzzle
Some times a game comes along whose absolute simplicity allows for one of the most involving and rapid experiences you can have with a video game. This was the case with seminal puzzle games like Tetris and Minesweeper, whose interface created an intellectual fever that bled out through the hands of its players. Expando may be the next in cramp inducing furiousness.
Ballin'
The idea of the game is that you are given a blank area with a certain number of red balls bouncing around. In the empty space you can push down, which starts inflating a “smiley face” ball. If the red balls hit it the ball will pop, unless you have let go. The longer you hold down on the ball the larger it will inflate. The goal from here is to take up as much of the screen as possible, separating the red balls from each other into their own smiley prison. The balls rolls around freely, can change position, and even let more of the red balls go from their previous capture zone.
Gaming Mayhem Set to House Music
This sounds very basic, and it is. It is this that requires the player to enter each level with a set of tactics where they can respond to every situation. Should I try and nail down some of the red balls with as many large smileys as possible? Should I start creating medium sized balls in the upper left hand corner so they will roll to the right? How many tiny ones should I produce in the empty gap parts? No matter what debate you have with yourself it has to be a quick one because you often time only have a matter of seconds before you are finally ousted from the scene.
Get It
The application itself is only $1.99, and even has a free version for you to try it out. The full version provides so many modes, backgrounds, and music tracks that it ends up being worth it. This ends up being one of the best games on the iPhone because it exemplifies what a mobile game should be, especially for filling waiting times. Nine out of ten stars.
This post is part of the series: Application Reviews
A series of reviews for common iPhone applications.
- Where Are You? - Loopt
- Name That Song - Shazam
- Getting Internet and Tech News with Net News Wire for the iPhone
- Review of the Facebook App for the iPhone
- BrainTuner: A Brain Teaser in Mediocrity
- Review of the Remote iPhone Application
- Have a Drink on Your iPhone Using the iPint App
- The Complete Works of Shakespeare
- Pocket Reference
- An In-Depth Review of Mobile News for the iPhone
- Smack A Toon Lite: A Mild Amusement
- QuickSend
- Smiling Rage: Expando Review
- Taking it Old School: Arcade Hoops Review
- Darts App Review: Skip the Bar and Throw Darts on Your iPhone
- Is the Pac-Man iPhone Game Worth the Money?
- Professor of Drinkology
- Finding the Network: The WiFinder Review
- Time in the Night: Night Stand Review
- Tube Time: i.TV Review
- Going International: Daily Planet Review
- Measuring the Swell: Surf Report Review
- iBoredom: Tic Tac Free
- Spiritual Warfare: Tap Defense Review
- Find Your Way Through Mazes with the Labyrinth iPhone Game
- Free Recipes on Your iPhone: Big Oven App Review
- Stanza for iPhone Review: Find Another eBook App
- A Drawing Pad for Your iPhone: Scribble Review