First impressions
As we simply love candy in the real world (unfortunately), why wouldn’t we be completely drawn to a game called Candy Crush Saga? The last “saga” game we played was Bubble Witch (reviewed many moons ago in this column) produced by the same company, King.com, to which we became completely addicted. Like Bubble Witch, Candy Crush keeps adding levels. There are now 245 in total and that number is sure to rise in the future. When we started off, we found it bore a striking resemblance to Bejewelled in the way that one had to get at least three candies of the same design in a row to remove them and gain points. However as we went along there were some differences that kept us intrigued.
The music was interesting to say the very least, not to mention the characters on the screen. We were also slightly disconcerted yet encouraged by the silky voice saying “tasty” every time we made some impressive moves. We decided to keep playing and see what sweet surprises were in store as we moved through the levels.
How it works
Much like its Bubble Witch Saga sister, Candy Crush Saga is a free app but you may find yourself paying for “charms” as you go along to get you through the more difficult levels. When you first download it, you’re greeted with a moustached gentleman who appears to be the person running Candy Town. He shows you how to get started and allows you to try a few examples before leaving you to give it a go on your own. You’ll find this pretty easy, at which point you move on to the next level where he reappears with further advice.
By the time you’re heading to Level 6 you’ll probably think this is all pretty simple and surely it’s just a candy version of Bejewelled? Then they start the ol’ get-rid-of-all-the-jellies manoeuvre and suddenly it’s a whole different ball game. You have to remove the jelly backgrounds of some of the candy and if you don’t, the little girlie at the end of the level looks mighty upset.
As you go along you can unlock boosters like the Lollipop Hammer, Extra Moves and Jelly Fish. It’s all to lull you into a false sense of security. The pretty colours and candy might make you think you’ve got the upper hand (or gummi bear) but then you don’t remove the jellies and once again you’re faced with that woeful-looking child.
If you’re staring at the screen and can’t see a move, keep your eyes peeled for a hint in the form of a sparkling or emphasised candy set. Don’t worry, if there are no moves left the game will be quick to tell you, so if it hasn’t spoken up, you’re still in the clear.
As with any game, the levels get more difficult as you progress. With 245 levels altogether, it’s hard to imagine what you’ll possibly be facing by level 186. Some massive marshmallow yeti we shouldn’t wonder.
When we played
We, like many, thought we had this game figured out. We started easily enough, but then we hit that jellies issue and it wasn’t long before we’d failed a level. We originally downloaded this on our iPhone, but we have to say that our eyes were watering after a while trying to discern where exactly the jellies were, as they were in some subtle colour we could barely see. Once we decided to get it on our iPad, we were able to see things clearly and the game was much easier to play.
We did visit the “Yeti Shop” briefly, a virtual store that stocks charms you can buy once you’ve unlocked them. Again, emphasis on “buy.” King.com has been particularly ingenious at creating popular games that are inexpensive or free, but then charge you for everything extra after that. You might think that you’ll do without, but it’s amazing when you’ve tried to get past a level about 20 times and have to wait for your lives to reload, just what you’ll be willing to pay to get past it.
Final thoughts
This game is about as addictive as the sugary sweets it portrays, and you long to hear “sweet” or “tasty” or “delicious” recognising your efforts when you’ve managed to clear multiple lines at a time. You’ll probably be a little irritated sometimes when you feel you have to pay for an extra charm, but we defy you to resist returning to Candy Crush Saga.
Pros: Don’t need to be connected to the Internet to play. Easy to learn. Lots of fun and constanttly entertaining.
Cons: Having to pay for extras (although the creators have to make their money somehow). Hard to see jellies on an iPhone.
Candy Crush Saga
Cost: Free
Seller: King.com Limited
Devices: iOS and Android
Rating: E for Everyone
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