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Apple Arcade: ‘Down in Bermuda’ Review – Puzzles, Exploration, and Orb-Seeking Goodness

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I feel like the first thing you should know with Down in Bermuda () is that, at the time of writing this review, there’s not a whole lot of content. In total, there are only three islands and the game will only take you around 2 hours to complete. That said, there is room and expectation for more islands and it does tell you more are coming soon so that could very well change by the time you play it for yourself.

Down in Bermuda is a puzzle game with some exploration aspects. The game is played from a top-down view and is fully 3D, encouraging you to explore the island from all angles. Your goal in the game is to progress through the island by collecting orbs. To progress you must collect every orb and that can be a little difficult, but never was it frustrating for me. Simply scroll around, turn camera angles, and make sure you finish off every puzzle and tap everything as some things will move or open to reveal orbs.

Many of the puzzles are different to each other and I was very glad for the variety. There’s a whole lot of simple button presses and levers, but there’s also some memory ones, hidden patterns, time-based puzzles, observation puzzles, and even one where you throw barrels at mines. Never did I feel like any of the puzzles were too hard or too tiring and so I think anyone from children to adults would enjoy the adventure found here.

You won’t be alone in the game, either. Your reason for this adventure, other than the sheer accomplishment of finishing the little puzzles found throughout the map, is to help an old pilot who crash landed there more than 30 years ago. All he wants is to go home and, gosh darn it, it’s your job to get him back. You won’t be interacting with him a whole lot, but thanks to collectible photographs, you’ll learn a good deal about his story. You’ll find these photos around the various islands and each one unlocks a bigger picture of who this lost soul is.

The islands themselves are each different and offer a host of variety. Not only do they each seem like their own little environment but they also all have their own secrets, fauna, and monsters. Luckily, the monsters are also defeated by doing puzzles, so it doesn’t stray from its focus and I like that. Each of the monsters found across the map serves up an orb when defeated, too, and it’s not so difficult that you should have any problems.

The controls in Down in Bermuda are easy and I love them. It’s all just taps and drags, including two-fingered drags to spin the camera. You’ll also find a zoom function on the side of your screen so you won’t have to worry about trying to spin and zooming instead.

The graphics and sounds of the game fit well with its relaxed environment. The sounds are a little sparse and the graphics are nothing more than simple shapes and colors, but I found myself enjoying them and feel like it might’ve been harder to see an orb’s subtle sparkle had things been too flashy. It also won’t take up much of your device’s resources in case you have an older model device.

Down in Bermuda does a lot of good by keeping it fresh. Puzzles are unique, the different islands and environments are refreshing, the style of the game is relaxed, and there was no feeling of frustration from it. It’s a really solid game that I hope gets a whole lot more content soon as I saw no issues at all with it. I would certainly recommend this game to you (or your kids) for a fun little weekend.

 

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NOTE: Down in Bermuda is available on mobile exclusively as part of Apple Arcade, a premium gaming subscription service from Apple. Without being a subscriber to Apple Arcade you cannot download and play this game. Apple Arcade is $4.99 per month and does come with a free one month trial, you can learn more about it on Apple’s official website or by visiting our dedicated Apple Arcade forum.

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