Just Fillin’ – Some of my favorite apps for killing time are games that are quick and easy to play. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good puzzler or a more complex game for down time, but sometimes I just want an entertaining way to pass a few minutes while sitting and waiting somewhere. But I’m picky about it. I don’t want a boring, pointless game; I want something that will entertain me so the minutes fly. When I first tried Just Fillin’, I quickly realized it was one of those apps that will do just that.
The newest app from playtoniq, makers of the aqua apps which I have yet to try, Just Fillin’ is kind of a physics-based game that includes bubbles, water, and spiky things (there are no other words for them). Basically, Just Fillin’ turns your iPhone/iPod Touch into a little water tank. The objective is to blow bubbles, which solidify, by touching the screen and let them fall into the water. As the bubbles displace the water, the water level rises and when the screen is completely full, you advance to the next level.
The challenge is to use less than the available number of bubbles while avoiding the spiky things that bounce around trying to pop your bubble before you’ve finished blowing it. The longer you touch the screen, the bigger the bubble will get and the more points you will score. You can advance through an indefinite number of levels as long as you don’t use up all the bubbles and pops in any level. Beginning with one spiky thing on level one, the number of spiky things bouncing about simultaneously increases with each level.
While the obvious point to Just Fillin’ is to fill the water level to the top without running out of bubbles and pops, it’s equally entertaining to try and trap the little spiky things underwater between bubbles, which of course becomes necessary in higher levels. Though neither the graphics nor the sound effects, which are merely classic arcade sounds, are nothing particularly special, the game’s use of both the touch and tilt sensors make it interesting. Touch determines the location and size of the bubble, but tilting will cause the bubbles to move around under water.
Just Fillin’ features a menu with two modes of play — normal and hard — as well as a high score leader board, settings, and an “about” section. The settings menu allows you to change certain aspects, such as the touch control, the level you start each game at, and a few other basics. A few things I found lacking are the game’s inability to save high scores, only to submit them, and on occasion, the touch sensor failed and a bubble would drop from the other side of the screen. However, with such a generous supply of bubbles, pops, and retry chances provided for each level, there is absolutely no frustration involved.
All in all, Just Fillin’ is a solidly entertaining game that serves its purpose. To get a taste of how it works, you can download Just Fillin’ Free, which is the same concept, only without the added menu features and a limited number of levels.
