AdvenChewers Review

A humble piece of bubble gum can help you fly. That is, if you’re a little boy in AdvenChewers (out now, $0.99). This fun platformer feels like an endless runner, except it’s divided into 48 levels.

advenchewers-ipad-01Running and jumping through brief taps is a familiar game mechanic seen in numerous endless runners and platformers. In AdvenChewers, a double tap will begin your gum-blowing flight. The longer you tap and hold, the bigger you’ll puff your gum balloon. But be careful. Puff too hard and too long and your bubble will pop.

Your goal is to collect as many coins as you can and reach the end of the level. Along the way, you’ll also have the opportunity to free three bird friends, and ride an invincible phoenix if you can find its feather. Windy airstreams can jet you along faster, though since it’s a fixed path, they can also blow you off target. Of course, there are obstacles to avoid. Black blobs of goo, robots, and various traps that will burst your gummy bubble and send you falling to your death. If you’ve collected at least one bird, it will save you from falling, but also fly away after that. Oh, and although enemies can hurt you if you’re not appropriately equipped, you’ll get extra points for each one you collide with.

Special gum can grant you extra powers. You can sometimes find one of these in a level, or you can purchase them in a store using the coins you’ve collected. There are nine types of gum in total, and the adventurous can also purchase a random gum. These include soap gum to combat goo, spiky gum to bulldoze robots, spark gum to destroy nearby enemies with a tap, and power gum that offers brief invincibility. If you’re coin hungry, you can also use golden gum (doubles your coins) or magnet gum (speaks for itself).

advenchewers-ipad-02What’s more economical to buy with your coins are equipment. For instance, a phoenix feather to double the coins you collect while riding the phoenix, a magic satchel that gives you 20% more coins at the end of each level, and a helmet to protect you from one nasty encounter. Flavor crystals can also help your special gum last longer. Other than these perks, you can buy extra gum slots (you get two at the start).

AdvenChewers is an entertaining, challenging game with good replay value. There’s always the urge to try and better your score, especially if you fail to collect and keep all three birds in a level. Although there’s IAP, it’s absolutely unnecessary. You can earn enough coins through playing and/or replaying levels. The biggest negative I currently see in this game is the long loading time, which is way too noticeable since the screen turns black (at least on my iPad 2, running iOS 6.1.2). Other than this, I enjoyed this platformer.

iFanzine Verdict: Anyone who loves endless runners or casual platformers should give AdvenChewers a try. It’s addictive and challenging, and the various gums you can buy offer fun game variations.