Igloo Games’ ‘Dizzy Bee’ is Fun and Polished
posted July 12th, 2008 8:50 PM EDT by arn in $2.99, Maze, Puzzle, Reviews, iPhone games, iPod touch games
It’s a fun time to be an iPhone owner when a gem like Igloo Games’ Dizzy Bee [App Store] appears out of nowhere as a pleasant and inexpensive surprise.
The developer describes the gameplay in this $2.99 accelerometer controlled game:
Guide a friendly bee by tilting and turning the iPhone or iPod touch. Lead him through windmills, bumpy bumpers, avoid the baddies, rescue the fruits and bring them to safety.
Dizzy Bee’s premise seems simple enough: tilt your iPhone to direct Bee to free the fruit and then to the exit.
And for the first level or two, you think to yourself that this is just a fun and easy exercise. Once “baddies” are introduced, however, you realize you have to take into account their movements which are also affected by the same tilting/gravity.
Levels, of course, can get more complicated as you can see here:
In this level, the fan allows only one-way movement, while the large center ball acts as a stopcock for the main intersection. Your goal is to get the fruit to the exit located at the bottom left.
The game provides a remarkable level of polish throughout and provides an excellent value at only $2.99. While this YouTube video offers you with a feel for the gameplay, the low quality of the video itself detracts from the bright visuals found in the game.
Game Details
Name: Dizzy Bee
Developer: Igloo Games
App Store Link: Buy
Price: $2.99
Compatibility: iPhone and iPod Touch
July 12th, 2008 at 9:31 pm
Doesn’t this game look sorta like Rolando?
July 12th, 2008 at 9:33 pm
Similar color pallete perhaps. The game play appears quite different. In that Rolando is not a tilt-based game. It appears to be more of a Lemmings type game.
http://toucharcade.com/2008/07/01/rolando-a-physics-based-platform-puzzler-for-iphone/
I do love the look of Rolando too, however… and can’t wait for it to show up.
arn
July 12th, 2008 at 9:46 pm
Seems really compelling!
I think I might buy it. Well it’s only $3. I might aswell.
July 12th, 2008 at 11:50 pm
I just played through a few levels, and it is quite fun! The only thing that’s a little odd is that if you hold it flat for a second, it will give a warning about not holding it flat—but every now and then it seems advantageous to do so.
Doesn’t ruin the fun of the game though! Well worth the two bucks!
July 13th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
This game is a real little gem. Super fun.
July 13th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Met the developer while waiting in line at the Apple Store in Seattle.
July 14th, 2008 at 8:16 am
Fantastic, a real hidden gem. Hope there’s some way of adding to it in the future, new levels etc..
July 14th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
The game would be too easy if it allowed you to hold it flat (ie, nullify gravity). Part of the challenge comes from only being able to change the direction of gravity, not the magnitude.
July 16th, 2008 at 7:56 am
I just bought it; thanks for the heads up.
July 17th, 2008 at 10:12 am
Just to put my 2 cents in… I’ve bought quite a few games now from the App store (spent $100 so far, gotta stop!) and right now Dizzy Bee is the one I play the most.
I used to work in the games industry and this game has what it takes to become a classic; it’s fun and memorable, is elegantly simple, leaves you wanting to continue on after each level and has reply value. I just love it!
August 1st, 2008 at 3:46 pm
There’s also DizzyBeeFree, a free version, on the App Store.
August 1st, 2008 at 5:10 pm
Anybody know what the difference is between Dizzy Bee Free and Dizzy Bee? The iTunes store description doesn’t say and it’s not discussed on the developer’s web site.
August 1st, 2008 at 8:32 pm
@Joe DizzyBeeFree has only 4 levels. otherwise identical.
August 7th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
the ‘holding it flat’ for too long ‘makes your fruit sick. basically all that means is that if you have already picked up any fruit, they will roll slower, which can mean the bad guys can catch you easier. quick fix is once a baddie is in a corner safely away from you, just tilt it all the way vertically for a sec, then make a run for it. your fruit will once again be ‘happy’…
August 17th, 2008 at 2:45 am
By far, my favorite game on the iPhone! It was well worth the price. I just finished all of the levels and now I’m trying to go back to get better scores on each level. I am eagerly waiting for the next app. from this publisher!