Explosive Candy World is a game you probably haven’t heard of. And that’s a shame. As while it may not be the most ground breaking puzzle game you’ve ever played, it sure is a lot of fun. And moreover, it’s available now for less than the cost of a Big Mac.
The game centres some guy. That’s all the information we have, as Explosive Candy World doesn’t offer the pretence of a story or background of any kind. In fact, it doesn’t even offer any instruction. During our first play with the game, we fired off around 50 candy bombs before we figured out the objective. And in doing so, imaginations began to run wild with the possibilities afforded by the seemingly very simple design.
Your character doesn’t move; at least, not in any conventional sense. The objective is to reach a piece of candy (which after the introductory few levels must also be activated first). Instead of walking, you have to propel yourself to the end goal with – you guessed it – explosive candy. The left analogue stick determines the direction and strength of your shot, and the fire button, well, fires. That’s it. That’s all there is to the game. Think of it like an Angry Birds platform game. Kind of.
Sound simple? Of course it does. However, Explosive Candy World throws new concepts at you with abandon. Gather the fruit. Hit the lollipop to gain access to the fruit. Those bricks can be broken; that platform spins; those spikes look sharp; that blobby thing bounces you. The player will become used to encountering entirely new mechanics within the first few levels of the game. Of which there are a considerable amount.
Each level has a par. However, much like all aspects of the game, you’re never informed of this. You’ll know if you succeeded in surpassing the developer’s expectations by being presented with a golden candy cane on completion.
Explosive Candy World can occasionally feel unfair. With the seemingly random bounce of your guy often putting you a few pixels away from perfection and into immediate danger. Furthermore, some levels seem to require you pushing your reticule off-screen to enable the right momentum. Which, for a game about precision, can leave you guessing a little too much. These flaws aside, Explosive Candy World is a hugely enjoyable puzzle game perfect for bite-sized play between bigger titles.
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