Fibble is the first game from Crytek, a big ‘triple-A’ game studio. The level design is up there with some of the best platforming Mario has to offer. The physics and feedback is up there with Angry Birds. And the graphics are quite simply the best on iOS at the moment.
First, gameplay: Fibble’s gameplay is a kind of ‘interactive pinball’. Its premise is simple, straightforward, and the hand-holding is perfect. You play a small orange alien who is essentially a pinball in lovingly crafted levels. You are given various alien friends to place on the level in order to solve the next level, and progress.
Much of the game revolves around timing and figuring out the correct locations for your alien friends. The gameplay is amazingly rich, considering there is only one button to tap (the entire screen). The mechanics are very fun, and I easily blew through all the levels.
Technically its hard not to be amazed. I honestly thought the beginning of the game was pre-rendered video. I didn’t know that an iPad 2 could render focus and motion blur effects and maintain such a fluid frame rate. The lighting and modeling of the game is fun and beautiful and when things move in and out of focus it was hard not to get distracted by the wizardry.
The game has a couple drawbacks. Its short, l easily completed all of it in one session. The characterization is stereotypically bolted onto the side. The in-app purchasing is downright confused. I mention these drawbacks mainly to say: don’t let it deter you. This game is definitely worth the $4.99 price tag, and there’s no added in-app cost to play the whole game. Go buy it now!