January 2nd, 2012

Frozen Candy

This holiday season, Avox Games came out with an outstanding match-3 puzzle game called Frozen Candy. The game looks very similar to the well known puzzler “Puzzle Bobble”. In fact, instead of the good old dinosaur Bub has been replaced by Brian Poesehn look alike of an elf for the ball firing duty. Therefore, anyone can be fooled to think it is a complete copy of the game. Nevertheless, once you start playing the game though, you can find that the mechanics of the game are different and unique allowing frozen Candy to shine as its own creation, thereby making for something that feels both novel and familiar.

The game play involves pointing and clicking the mouse to shoot the frozen candy pieces. All matching colors of candy at the same stretch are cleared from the board. However, it isn’t that simple, there are some interesting twists in the game. Firstly, you will only have a limited number of balls to shoot, something which is generally associated with snooding than with move-busting. Secondly, the physics of the game are intentionally slippery. For example, a fired candy will stick to the candy where it lands but the momentum of the candy signifies that it may circle around and come in touch with other candies. Thirdly, there is a timer denoted by a temperature gauge - so as time passes by, the temperature will keep rising, there by melting the ice and making the ‘frozen candy” less frozen to the top and therefore making it more likely to be influenced by gravity. One should experience the game by playing it hands on. The feel of the game is very different and cannot be described. It is intuitive and takes some time getting used to, but the game provides for an ultimate and enjoyable experience.

Frozen Candy is a complete visual and audio treat to the eyes, ears and brains. Even if you face defeat or seem to get unlucky while playing the game or if the candy limit feels a tad too frugal, the cool pseudo-3D visuals and pleasant sounds just compensate for it. The game provides a genuine sense of Christmas cheer with its amazing and satisfying sound effects that pops up whenever candies are cleared from the board. Just watch out for the overly touchy firing. If you hold the mouse button even for a second longer, it will shoot a stream of candies which can be very inconvenient and disappointing.

Overall, while Frozen Candy may appear less original than it actually is, it is undoubtedly a charming game that can be enjoyed by all. It surely is a perfect and fun game to play during this holiday season. The game definitely will get the holiday spirits soaring to heights.