Nuts! ($0.99) is an action arcade game for the iOS that comes to us from Limbic Software, developers of two other iOS titles: TowerMadness and Zombie Gunship.
The premise behind Nuts! is rather cute. Two squirrels, Jake and Miranda, are enjoying a romantic picnic lunch when a raven swoops down and steals their picnic basket. To make matters worse, the basket held a surprise engagement ring for Miranda. Now it’s up to Jake to get his stuff back.
You control Jake as he races up a tree while avoiding branches by tilting your device to the left or right. As you climb you collect coins, retrieve items from your picnic basket, and obtain powerups like speed boosts and health hearts. It’s all very simple and after about two minutes you know all you need to know.
The coins you collect along the way can be spent in the “Forest Store” to upgrade your squirrel making subsequent trips up the tree easier. Things like extra health, shields, and double coins can be purchased and will appear the next time you climb the tree. Choosing which upgrades to buy and in what order adds a bit of depth to an otherwise straightforward game.
The current version (v1.4) adds another quest that is unlocked after Jake collects all 10 missing items from his picnic basket. This quest follows Miranda, the purple squirrel.
The graphics feature a nice motion blur effect while climbing the tree that conveys a genuine sense of speed, especially after using a fireball powerup. The higher areas of the tree have varying weather like snow and ice that slightly change the physics of dodging. Your highest climb is prominently displayed after each run encouraging you to aim higher next time.
Nuts! is an addictive fast-paced game perfect for bite-sized play on mobile devices. Like Jetpack Joyride once you get started it’s hard to stop as another milestone is just “one more game away”. I had a surprising amount of fun with it and if you like high-speed games then you probably will too.
Review Score: 9 out of 10
Nuts! is a universal app with Game Center support and is available for $0.99.
iTunes Link: Nuts!
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