Ragdoll Blaster 3 Review: A Unique Look and Feel to the Physics based Puzzle Platform

App Name:	Ragdoll Blaster 3
Platforms:	iOS Devices
Publisher(s):	Backflip Studios
Version Reviewed:	1.0
Genre(s):	Gaming
Release Date:	February 9, 2012
Price:	$0.99
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Thanks to smash hits like Angry Birds, physics puzzle games are all the rage these days, with new ones coming out seemingly everyday. They are a simple concept that can create hours of fun for the user, so it is no wonder why that industry is booming. Things can get a bit convoluted in this platform, though, but every once in awhile there comes along a physics game that, maybe while not as stylish and simplistically fun as Angry Birds, changes things up a bit.

Ragdoll Blaster 3 could easily be summed up as one of “those” games.

The story to the $1 game is fairly straightforward. A number of ragdolls are chilling around, and rather bored out of their minds. Eventually, an intrepid member of this rag-tag (see what I did there?) group invents a machine that enables them to travel across great distances to whatever destination would enable them to experience something to take away their boredom.

Levels involve elements like timing to hit the target at a certain point, launching multiple ragdolls to interact with objects, and just incredibly precise angle jockeying. With each level beaten, a new one is unlocked which gives a piece to an overall blueprint for whatever vehicle or device is necessary to make it to a new land, with each land being populated by other ragdolls with specific and unique traits based off the island. Something else to keep things interesting is that you can collect gold coins throughout the game in order to get a 3 Star rating at the end of each level. The more you collect, the more options you have for in app purchases that allow you to unlock new ragdoll designs, but other than that, they don’t serve much more of a purpose.

The graphics are a delight, as the ragdolls themselves have a bit of character to their cartoonish appearances that lets out unique personality traits in each one of them. It’s a wonderfully visually appearing experience, and the different environments and ragdoll types make for an interesting exercise in creativity by the developers.

As for gameplay, it’s rather straightforward and simple. Just tap a section of the screen and the cannon will fire your ragdoll right to it. To create a more powerful shot, tap a further from your cannon. There is a level of difficulty added in that you have to figure out how each varying object in the levels work, and how your ragdoll will interact and change its flight pattern as a result. The better aim and timing you have allows for a wonderful chain reaction of events  that will nail your target within a couple of shots.

There are only a few of minor complaints I have with the game. While it is available for the iPhone/iPod touch and iPad, it’s not universal on the iPad, so there isn’t a “save game” function to go between either device if you have them. If you’ve ever played the previous versions of Ragdoll Blaster, it’s not necessarily a new experience for you, even if the graphics and style are completely wonderfully different. The core function of the game hasn’t changed, so fans of the  previous versions aren’t getting much of a revolutionary change here. The last little quibble I have is that the voices of the characters can get a little annoying, but that’s nothing the volume switch can’t solve.

Overall, Ragdoll Blaster 3 is a wonderful and creative experience that adds a little something unique to the physics puzzle platform. If you have kids, they’ll love the fun and playful characters. But if even if you’re not a kid there’s still tons of enjoyment to be found in this creative and ridiculous (in a good way) game.

Our score: 4 out of 5.

About the Author

Jared Murray is a freelance writer currently living in Phoenix, Arizona; which is way warmer than his home state of Indiana. Way. Follow him on Twitter: @jared_84

 

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