On iPhone
Game: BurnStar
Price: $1.99 / £1.19
Size: 13.2 MB
Get it now on iTunes: US (opens in new tab) / UK (opens in new tab)
On iPad
Game: BurnStar
Price: $1.99 / £1.19
Size: 13.2 MB
Get it now on iTunes: US (opens in new tab) / UK (opens in new tab)
We all know Bomberman, right? The game where you run around setting up bombs blowing away baddies and trying not to blow yourself up in the process? You’ll feel like you’re playing a polished new version of that classic (with a puzzle twist) with BurnStar, an iPhone game that gives you the mission of defeating a big bad corporation called Evil Industrial. Good luck acting legit with that name, eh?
The funny thing about Evil Industrial’s headquarters is, it seems to be asking to be destroyed. After all, what other reason is there for all 100+ levels to be littered with projectiles, bombs and lighters? It’s a pyromaniac’s dream come true. Talk about a security weakness.
Anyway, your job in each level will be to tap to move BurnStar, the hero of the game, tap different types of crates you’d like to set on fire, and watch the magic happen. The goal of each level is to reach a “burn count”, which means you don’t have to set fire to every single thing in the level, but you must successfully torch a certain amount of things in order to pass the level. Going for the 100 percent burn count is going to net you a higher score, naturally.
As you progress, you’ll be offered more options to vary your firestarting techniques, such as oil, which will help you send your flames in different directions. Also, the amount of items you can use to start fires in each level is limited, so you’ll need to think carefully about the choices you make. As the difficulty ramps up, you’ll need to construct exactly the right chain of explosions to be able to pass the level’s burn count. Don’t forget that there will be robots wandering around while you do this too, so you’ll need to avoid them. Hope your multitasking skills are up to date.
BurnStar offers the option to make up to four profiles, so you can share the game with other friends and not have to worry about erasing over your own save. It’s not compatible with GameCenter, but you can see your stats for every level by checking out the map screen, which features ten stages with ten levels each and a bonus island. There’s plenty to do, and while there is some level of repetition present as you hit later levels, you have the option of adjusting the difficulty level anytime that you want. It has excellent replay value, not to mention for the price, it will keep you busy for some time. Just try to think cleverly as you solve those puzzles, or you’re going to end up like a S’more on a stick at your grade school camping trip.
May 26, 2010