Zuma’s Revenge! Review

Platform: PC
ESRB: E
Genre: Puzzle
Number of Players: 1
Publisher: PopCap Games
Release Date: 09/15/2009
Official Website

Basic Idea as I See it: Little froggy jumps ship and floats (with the help of a comical sail) through a storm to mysterious island. Big bad Tiki Bosses threaten to squash little froggy… So little froggy blasts through levels upon levels, shooting colorful balls to fight Tiki Bosses and win happy life.

Graphics: For Zuma fans, there is no comparison between the old and new Zuma graphics. It’s like the first time you put on glasses and can see – everything! Who knew it could be so crisp? For fresh Zuma eyes, prepare to be dazzled with sharp pictures, attention to detail, interesting movement (sometimes the lines of balls twist and turn on themselves – or each other), and enjoyable colors. Zuma’s Revenge artwork and graphics are stunning from the water to the fire to the faces on the little balls – I mean, come on, it’s a puzzle game! Every time I open it, I see something new. My favorite are the water levels in both sight and sound.

Sounds: Zuma’s Revenge sounds the same as Zuma, only enhanced. The music takes you to the island, but doesn’t shove the island down your throat. Both the music and the cues change appropriately with the phases of the levels and somehow bring forth just the right amount of stress forcing the player to up their game (or totally choke). Sometimes, I just stopped and listened to the spooky wakuwaku voice after beating a Tiki boss… spooky. And the voices at the end of each level remind me of this kid’s show, Zaboomafoo (please let me know if you have any idea what I am talking about). All in all, the “sounds” do really augment the game nicely.

Controls: Point and click, aim and shoot, however it’s said, the controls are simple to grasp, but surprisingly tough to master, taking travel time into consideration. Some of the power ups make the timing a little easier (accuracy, for instance, makes the ball shoot faster to take some of the guesswork out of timing and minimize the mistakes). Zuma’s Revenge also changes up the way the frog moves. He can jump do a different location in some levels and slide across the screen in others.

Flow: Difficulty gradually rises through each of the modes, preparing the Zuma warrior for the challenges to come. Zuma’s revenge seems to be set up similarly to Bejeweled Twist and Bookworm Adventures 2, with the adventure mode being kind of the introduction to the more difficult modes of the game. This suits the complexity pretty well, but for those who are used to the Adventure mode being the meat and potatoes of the game, DON’T STOP THERE!!! There is much, much more!

Fun Factor: If I ever really did this, I would have been ROFL several times while playing this game. I did almost fall out of my chair at the… end… of the adventure levels. I mean, I haven’t really ever been that into Zuma, I will admit, but I can’t stop playing this one. From the witty loading bar at the beginning to the defeated Tiki bosses, the Zuma’s Revenge humor is something I can truly appreciate. Oh, and blasting little balls, trying my hand at Iron Frog, and obliterating colors are pretty fun, too.

Female Aspect: There is not really a female in the game itself, at least not having to do with the actual game play, it’s like there’s a girly frog, she’s pretty important, but she doesn’t get much face time.

Replay Value: I don’t think I will ever stop playing Zuma’s Revenge. Or, I don’t think i can stop playing Zuma’s Revenge. Okay, what I really should say is I will never finish playing Zuma’s Revenge the first time through… But even if I do, I will still play it. Anytime. There are opportunities to play for short or long periods of time, interesting challenges, and just good old classic Zuma action – but better.

Final Thoughts: To me, Zuma’s Revenge is the epitome of what a sequel should be. You take the game play that people are already hungry for, double it, spice it up, twist it around, and serve it up on a fancy plate with a good laugh. Well done.
Now, for some reason, I think I will have ham for dinner…

*No actual frogs or Tikis were hurt in the making or playing of this game! *

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**Review Copy provided by PopCap Games does not effect the outcome of this review.**