innocent - to - play games often appear appealing , but it ’s hard to know at a glance whether the business good example is insidious and fun ruination , or reasonable and deserving pump a few bucks into . With Freemium Field Test , we ’ll take a recent free - to - play iOS secret plan , put it through its pace , and let you know if it ’s really deserving your clock time ( and money ) .
It was only a year ago that I found myselfswimming in the syrupy perfumed watersofCandy Crush Soda Saga , King ’s spinoff of the original free - to - roleplay puzzle knock , Candy Crush Saga . In play it for this column , I ’d pour a lot of time into the game , but also quite a bit more money than I ’d plan — and despite the defeat , I still admired the secret plan to some extent .
That ’s not the case with the lately - launchedCandy Crush Jelly Saga , now the third standalone entry in the series . Jelly Saga is more than just a scenery change , as it inclose new gameplay elements alongside the slight makeover , but the core group remains a business good example designed to get you addict and leave alone you do-or-die to move on once you hit a wall . And this time , it ’s much less subtle about its method .
The pitch
You ’ll swap turns in the headway - to - head mode ( against the computer ) , but the event can feel awfully manipulate .
For the most part , Candy Crush Jelly Saga maintains the structural center of the experience from earlier ingress : It ’s still a match - three puzzler in which you swap the places of colorful confect pieces . Match four or five in a course , make a square , or aline an liter configuration and you ’ll generate a peculiar piece that can clear lots of candy at once and potentially lead to range reactions of firearm come down and clearing mechanically . That ’s a good affair !
Everything is vibrantly depicted with eye - pop up glossary , and even the backing music is extremist - catchy . Candy Crush is well-situated to determine and work , and like the sugary bite it depicts , the game can be rather addictive , too : You start whip through storey , building up big jazz band as the game praises yourobviously plannedmaneuvers , and it find good . King has made 1000000000000 and million of dollar perfecting that feedback loop , and it skin here early on as well .
Where are the Pufflers ? float under the layered barriers and elude you with every move .
Where Jelly Saga deviate from its predecessors is in the execution of its titular scoop : In many stage , you ’re tasked with cover the full surface of the board with jelly by clearing a piece from each second power . At least part of the cleared chemical chain has to plug in to a public square that ’s already doused with jam , so you ’re essentially spreading it around the screenland . Cover every inch before you run out of moves , and mission , accomplished .
In other levels , you ’ll need to disclose small candy creatures hiding behind multi - layered barriers , which is similar to a style from Soda Saga . But the grownup increase here get with head - to - head battles against a computer - control opponent , with both of you fighting to dominate the concealment with your Brobdingnagian jelly trail . While it ’s the big twist see here , it ’s also the most naked example to date that you ’re often playing against a pile pack of cards in this serial .
The catch
“ Aw shucks , the level is designed to be near - out of the question , but do n’t you need to spend some money anyway ? ”
It does n’t take long before the militant mode prove utterly infuriating . You ’ll find a screen door split in the middle , with your jelly slathered across the top piece and your A.I. opponents ’ muggy clobber all across the bottom . When pieces are cleared from the bottom , the candy in your one-half diminish into the low-toned half , and you alternate turn . Makes enough gumption , correct ?
surely , until all of your strategical moves are neutralize by the adversary ’s turn . And that same opponent is magically able to put together unbelievable , multi - step chains too . It ’s the secret plan ’s brick wall and it get along very early : That particular level is # 29 , and if you Google for confidential information ( as I sheepishly did ) , it seems to be the most - search layer in the game at this point . Ultimately , I used the right part of a $ 10 in - app purchase to grease one’s palms boosts and extra move just to get past that spirit level after banging my foreland against it for days .
And then , with the very next stage , I got gravel again . It ’s one of those “ Release the Pufflers ” degree , where you ’ll free the petty creatures by take in the layers of confect and barriers built atop them — only in this entry , theymoveaway from you with every bit of onward motion . You might net half the board , but they ’ll all be bundle up on the other goal , leech you dry of movement . It ’s horrendous . And I ’m still there on level 30 , as I block up myself from spending another dime bag .
It ’s rightful , the $ 40 gold stripe bundle is the best note value , but only if you do n’t prize existent money .
It ’s a ignominy , since I want to play further into the game . Jelly Saga has more than 100 levels already , with sure as shooting more to be added as the freemium plot swells in size like the earlier entries , and I do n’t want to finger like I ’ve just scratched the surface of it . Yet it ’s improbable there ’s anything unexpected down the line : It has the same regenerating biography system and the same roadblock keeping you out of worlds unless you badger Facebook friends , give money , or wait .
It ’s all so calculated and expect , and that ’s because it ’s so massively popular . Why mountain with success when it sack up you 1000000000000 ?
The verdict
After $ 20 total of in - app purchase to grease the constriction , I ’m pull up stakes plug a virtually - unbreakable bulwark . So I ’m done . Where Candy Crush Saga and Soda Saga at least had me smile lightly through the manufactured frustration , Jelly Saga push back too hard and too betimes , and make little effort to hide its crystal clear joke .
I would n’t be surprised to see Jelly Saga ’s difficulty spikes softened with updates : As of this composition , the initial U.S. release is still live , and although the game was soft - launched elsewhere for a while , King is sure to get a lot more feedback to exercise with . And hopefully that criticism makes it quite clear that the latest Candy Crush go forth a very unappealing taste with player .
