Warning: If you don't read the directions for some games, you might get frustrated, take the wrong approach, have no fun, or all three. It's a good thing you're reading this review because you will ensure that what happened to me won't happen to you. You see, when I saw SneeZies, I thought it was a bubble popping game. These cute, colorful little creatures called SneeZies are floating in bubbles, so I naturally thought it was my duty to release all of them from their bubble prisons by tapping them out one by one as fast as I could, a la most 'bubble popping' games. As a result, my finger soon became sore because there are so many bubbles to pop. My brain became flustered because no matter how hard I tried it, seemed like only one bubble would pop.
Warning: If you don't read the directions for some games, you might get frustrated, take the wrong approach, have no fun, or all three. It's a good thing you're reading this review because you will ensure that what happened to me won't happen to you. You see, when I saw SneeZies, I thought it was a bubble popping game. These cute, colorful little creatures called SneeZies are floating in bubbles, so I naturally thought it was my duty to release all of them from their bubble prisons by tapping them out one by one as fast as I could, a la most 'bubble popping' games. As a result, my finger soon became sore because there are so many bubbles to pop. My brain became flustered because no matter how hard I tried it, seemed like only one bubble would pop.
Then I decided to read some of the reviews to see if others were having the same trouble I was. Nope. Lots of good reviews from people enjoying the game (and not getting a sore index finger from banging on the screen). Then I decided to read the directions – which on an iPhone game can be tricky to find sometimes. In SneeZies, you'll see a little “I” in the lower left corner. Tap on that “I” and up pops the help page. This page is very colorful, but it is not very easy to read. However, it does explain that you're supposed to only tap the screen ONCE to send “sneezing powder” out and around the SneeZies to start a chain reaction.
Ah, now I get it. The challenge is not tapping on as many bubbles as you can, but rather strategically placing your “burst” of sneezing powder to set off a chain reaction among the highest number of SneeZies characters. As each SneeZie gets a whiff of the sneezing powder, it sneezes (a cute little squeaky-voice sound effect) and releases more sneezing powder that penetrates the surrounding Sneezies living in their own bubbles. The bubbles pop (also a cool sound effect) when they come in contact with the powder (whether it comes from your finger or a neighboring sneeze). This proves to be much more fun and addicting than it sounds.
In Classic mode, you are given a certain 'target' goal of the number of SneeZies you must free. If you don't reach that target, you can't move on. As the number of SneeZies on your screen increases, I must say that some of the fun begins to leave. Why? Because in order to fit more and more SneeZies on the iPhone screen, they become smaller and smaller. As they diminish, they lose their personality and facial features. You can still hear the sounds of the sneezes and popping bubbles, but visually it is very different when the number of Sneezies on the screen increases. It is fun, but it also gets repetitive very quickly.
However, the developer does offer an alternative mode that provides some welcome relief and variation. In the “Challenge” mode, you're given a score goal (like 100 points) with only a limited number of taps (like 5) allowed. There are no time limits, but there is a limit on how many pokes you get before the game starts over in this mode. I found “challenge” mode quite “challenging.” It tested my brain a bit to be very smart about where I released sneezing powder.
SneeZies looks and sounds great. An inspirational and relaxing acoustic guitar song plays in the background. Other sounds you'll find in the game are perfect fun. The graphics are bright and colorful and manage somehow to make this little colored 2D creature come to life. For $.99, it's hard to resist this little diversion. Oh, one more warning (and I know this sounds wacky). If you have hay fever, you might want to take an allergy pill before you play. With all of the pollen and sneezing and wind blowing around in this game, you might get a sympathetic response and start sneezing yourself!
