Clever Twists’s Popper! is a bit of a unique “popping” game that correlates with other brick-breaking games as well as match-to-pop games, though it defies the match-three standard of most. Popper features several different formations made up of various colored capsules and balls, which can be eliminated from their arrangement by hitting one or more with a same-colored capsule/ball launched from below.

Scoring points for some uniqueness in a genre that’s been done to death, Popper also makes good use of the built-in tilt features of the iPhone/touch. Through a series of increasingly difficult levels, Popper! has various arrangements including a wreath, a tightly formed circle, and horizontal layers. Depending on the formation or arrangement of capsules and balls, you can elicit control by tilting your device to rotate rings or move rows from side to side. You can also position the angle of your ammunition and your launcher.

For the most part, Popper! is very intuitive and is not the least bit difficult to pick up and play. There are point bonus and power ups to obtain to keep the game interesting, and each level presents its own unique arrangement, control abilities, and requires a new approach to clear the level. There seems to be a bit of a glitch in the calibration of the launch pad and the actual angle of release, but this can be overlooked if you take the time to figure out how to compensate your aim.

Popper! is also available as a free version, Popper! Lite, and is the same game except for being ad-supported and only containing six levels as opposed to ten in the paid version. The last few levels in the full version do present a set of challenges different than the first six, but I’m not convinced it’s worth $2.00 for the extra four levels. If perhaps the developer is planning to add new levels in future updates, then Popper! is worth the price, however, as of right now I see no advantage to having the paid version over the free.

Paid or free version, if you’ve enjoyed similar games for your iPhone, then you will more than likely enjoy a bit of the popping fun in Popper! It might lack the longevity that you crave in this type of game, but it still lends entertainment value due to sheer game play and creativity.

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app category: Arcade, Editor's Picks, Games