iOS Game Review – They Need to be Fed (Jesse Venbrux)

The title of the game says it all.  They Need to be Fed by Jesse Venbrux is an interesting physics based platform game where you need to feed “insanely cute monsters”.  Although, it’s a little more then just that.  You control a little character and lead him into the monsters’ mouths.  To do that, you must jump around on strangely shaped platforms and avoid many obstacles such as spikes, rockets, exploding platforms, plasma balls, and lasers.  There is also a set amount of diamonds in each level that you collect to unlock new worlds.

Now before I continue, I would just like to say that I have played the PC version of the game, and since it was created to be played on a mobile device I can definitely confirm that it plays better on a mobile device (rather than a PC).  I found the controls much more natural on the touchscreen, and my fingers could jump back and forth quicker.  Also, compared to the last game I reviewed for iOS (Maddening), the button placement for the controls are fantastic.

Now back to game play.  There are a total of 7 worlds to unlock, and each world gets progressively harder.  Every world also has it’s own unique background and feature.  For example in world 4 rockets are introduced, and in world 6 plasma balls are introduced.

The programming in the game was well done and the physics engine was very well polished.  When jumping on special blocks, they moved in a unique way that reacted well with your movement.  I was also happy too see the sprite rotation wasn’t messy/pixely looking.

The sprites in the game were very simplistic and I loved it!  The simple black and white graphics on top of a colorful background made it easy to tell the difference between game play objects and the background.  The GUI was also very easy to navigate.  Some sprites/backgrounds also seem to have been improved from the PC version.

The game doesn’t really have a story and that was sort of disappointing.  Jesse could have expanded the idea of the monsters and developed the little character you play just a little but more.  The game also felt very short because of this, and could have had a few more worlds or unlockables.

They Need to be Fed is a great game to play on-the-go and is pretty addicting if you play for a bit.  The achievement system also had a few things that challenged me, such as trying to complete all levels without dieing and getting all the diamonds, or trying to finish the first level without walking on the ground (jumping & in-air moving only).  Also once you reach 99 diamonds you unlock “the x levels” where there is a bunch of different unique levels (one in each world).

The music was very friendly and catchy, and the sounds were simple and used sparingly.

I would recommend getting this game if you have some spare time on your hands (and an Apple device).  I also really hope that all these game maker made mobile games come to Android in the near future!

You can follow Josh on Twitter: @JCoolist.