Way back in 2008, not long after the App Store first opened and I was devouring mobile games left and right, I downloaded a game called Sneezies from developer Retro Dreamer. Probably because I read about it on TouchArcade. Sneezies was an ultra-simple game where bubbles containing little critters were spread across the screen and you’d choose one spot to tap and pop a bubble, with the little critter inside’s sneeze dust expanding out from the blast. Any other bubbles that came in contact with the dust would pop as well, and the goal was really to cause a chain reaction and pop the proper quota of bubbles in order to move on to the next level.
This is not some deep strategy game, and in fact it relied a lot on luck, but something about it was just so damn compelling. You’d literally just tap the screen and sit back and watch as bubbles popped, hoping to pop enough of them. I’d do this over and over and over and over and over and over. Admittedly I never actually completed Sneezies, as I got stuck on level 80-something I think, and despite trying hundreds if not thousands of times I simply couldn’t advance and eventually gave up. Despite that, I cherished the time I had with Sneezies all those years ago.
Anyway, this is just a note to say that Sneezies is still alive and kicking, and next week a big update is planned for the currently iPad-only version Sneezies HD ($2.99) that will make it fully Universal which will include Apple TV support. Here’s a brand new trailer.
Like I said, Sneezies isn’t some deep game, though there is a bit of skill involved in when and where you decide to tap. But it’s all good because there’s just something about it that’s a joy to play. The art style and Sneezie characters are adorable, and there’s just something about trying to pop all those damn bubbles. I’m excited to pick up the habit again and hopefully this time make it all the way through the game’s many levels, and I’m really excited to see an updated version with support for modern screen resolutions and sizes. And the Apple TV! That should be fun too!
If you’ve never played Sneezies before I’d suggest picking up the HD version and either waiting for the Universal update to hit or playing on your iPad in the meantime, as the other versions of Sneezies should be obsoleted by this updated version. Look for the update to hit next Thursday, December 17th.
