Stompem is a game that will test your mental skills as you maneuver a one-toothed, balding character to squash vegetables and beach accessories. Think again if you believe the purpose of this game is to mindlessly squash away. Instead you have to figure out what order you should stomp the item to keep Fumu-San (yes, that’s his name) from breaking into tears, which is what ends the round.

The graphics in Stompem have a cool retro feel with the jagged outlines you may remember from playing Nintendo Entertainment System games. To play Stompem, first choose one of four seasons to set loose Fumu-San on his stomping mission. The season determines what you have to stomp. For example, you will target pumpkins in the fall and snowmen in the winter. Beach balls and mushrooms await you in the summer and spring.

A white box appears around one or two of the objects at the start of Stompem. You then must tap where to move your character so he will stomp the item. Those colored red require two stomps to fully flatten them, while the other colors only require one.

But here is the catch. Figuring out how to pass the level and move on in the game is up to you. It is not just a matter of tapping quickly to pass before a time limit. There is an actual strategy to Stompem. And if you fail, Fumu-san breaks down and cries like a baby.

For only $0.99, Stompem is a great puzzle game with music and graphics that make it stand out. The higher you advance in the game, the more you may find yourself racking your brain to keep Fumu-San from breaking into a full-fledged tantrum. This game certainly is not the fast-paced action type that tends to dominate the App Store. But you will find keeping Fumu-San happy is enough of a challenge to tie you ro your iPhone or iPod touch for quite a while.

For more articles like this, subscribe to the AppCraver RSS feed.

category: Games, Strategy