In Cheeky Monsters (out now, FREE), aliens (called cheeky monsters) have invaded Earth. Through dropping crystals of various shapes and sizes, they’re sucking our planet’s vital energy. Hence, you’ve got to destroy these crystals by kicking a ball about, brick-breaker style.
The game offers a total of 20 levels, the first four (and a tutorial) free, with the remainder unlockable via a $0.99 IAP. It’s not a bad game, though I didn’t enjoy it as much as I have more traditional brick breakers.
In Cheeky Monsters, your device acts as the paddle. You’ve got to keep the ball in your sight by tilting your iPhone left and right, and tapping to “kick” the ball when it gets near. If it gets past you, you’ve got to start the level all over again. In addition, when crystals are broken they release tokens, which you have to collect by tapping a button to release an electrical field that sweeps out and back. These tokens accumulate to give you your point score. Unfortunately, you can’t use these “coins” to purchase any upgrades or anything from an in-game store.
Other than breaking the crystals and collecting tokens, you’ve got to avoid attacks from the monsters. For example, they might throw bombs or snowballs, etc.
Overall, I found the game repetitive because I didn’t get the feeling the physics was realistic. The graphics didn’t impress me either and the game was laggy on my iPhone 5S. Sometimes it would pause for a brief moment in the middle of a level before resuming. One error, though seemingly minor, was glaring: Loser was spelled as “looser” (if you lost the ball without breaking all the crystals). I should note here that unlike traditional brick breakers, Cheeky Monsters only gives you one ball per level. Also, unlike typical brick breakers, there aren’t any power-ups to catch (collecting tokens doesn’t involve much challenge or fun).
iFanzine Verdict: There’s no harm trying Cheeky Monsters, especially if you’re fond of brick breakers. If you enjoy the first four levels, then you can go ahead and purchase the IAP for the rest of the game. Personally, I prefer regular brick breakers, but that’s just me. The 3D aspect of the game did feel refreshing.