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| The Entertainment Review |
| Genre: Puzzle Developer: Artech Studios Publisher: Sierra Online |
There isn’t any denying that the average person likes bunnies, they are so cute and furry with their scrunching noses and wiggly tails. There also isn’t any denying that the average person enjoys dancing, it may takes a
couple adult beverages to reach that enjoyment, but nevertheless, people enjoy dancing. Someone came up with the great idea of combining bunnies and dancing in a puzzle game available on Xbox Live Arcade.
Sadly, this seemingly great pair of elements creates a great game, “Boogie Bunnies,” that fails in its core game play mechanics. It doesn’t offer anything that a large number of other puzzle games haven’t already done
and the game play seems overused and repetitive.
The premise of “Boogie Bunnies” is similar to many games that are based on falling colored brick games that players have seen before. However, this time around, instead of colored bricks moving towards the bottom
of the screen it is colored dancing bunnies. Also, instead of dropping other colored bunnies down on top of the stacks to create combos, players will shoot them upwards at the bunnies working their way down the
screen, players will also be able to shoot bunnies from the sides of the screen as well. It isn’t extremely different from the typical game of this type, but it is a little different. It is fairly obvious that the goal set for players is
to get rid of the colorful bunnies before they dance their way off of the ledge at the bottom of the screen, maybe it should have been called “Boogie Lemmings” instead. The game does offer a few elements that are quite
interesting and change the game play a little. Players are able to throw red bunnies that, when a combo is created, explode surrounding bunnies of the screen. Also, aqua bunnies, when a combo is created, cause the
rest of the bunnies on the screen to begin dancing, allowing players to score even more points. This element does add much to the game except for a little humor the first couple of times and a bit of difficulty because it
can become hard to see the different colored bunnies when they are dancing.
As with other puzzle games that are available on Xbox Live Arcade, there are multipliers in the game that help players rack up their score a little bit. While players are able to create combos with the bunnies, it usually
happens by chance rather than by strategy because the game moves at such a fast pace. The only multiplier that players actually have control over is the combo that occurs when the bunnies begin dancing. Players are
able to unlock different dance moves as they progress through each stage. One negative aspect of the multiplier is the fact that players can cheat the system and launch pieces off the side of the screen until they find a
matching color to shoot.
The single player game is split across three different modes of play including arcade, classic and endless. Though the game play doesn’t really change much between the three modes, there are slight differences.
There is also a multiplayer mode that is a little better than the single player mode. With cooperative local play and online matchups, players can play with friends, though the experience is nothing special. The
cooperative mode is okay, putting players and their friends in the same three sided puzzle, but they are not able to cross paths so there is a bit of strategy involved in completing each puzzle. Playing online is a little bit
different because players take turns at taking out the little carrot-munchers.
The final issue that players may have with the game is the fact that there is no way to tell what the next color is going to be. Like “Tetris,” it is an important part of the game so that players can plan their next move and
organize each shot to coincide with the next attack. Players will possibly feel as though they are aimlessly shooting bunnies around the screen in hopes of creating a combo that will rack up the score.
The game’s graphics are nice and the bunnies are detailed in a way that makes them look as cute as possible and many will find their dance moves both cute and funny. Obviously, players won’t have high expectations
of what a dancing bunny is supposed to look like, but the game looks accurate to what it would probably look like. With the great graphics comes another issue, the frame rate, which constantly flickers. Whenever there
are multiple bunny explosions occurring, the game lags and sometimes stops. It is very frustrating to see a game that looks so great graphically fail in the frame rate. Also, the sound of the game is nothing to really be
too impressed or unimpressed about; it just seems to be there.
Overall, the game has its ups and its downs and the question of whether to buy this game or not is determined by the individual gamer. For someone that is simply looking for a casual game to play from time to time
that is cute, this would be the perfect game. However, for the hardcore game, “Boogie Bunnies” isn’t going to show up in their list of Xbox Live Arcade games. If there is ever going to be a sequel to this game, a couple
of additions could make this a great game.
couple adult beverages to reach that enjoyment, but nevertheless, people enjoy dancing. Someone came up with the great idea of combining bunnies and dancing in a puzzle game available on Xbox Live Arcade.
Sadly, this seemingly great pair of elements creates a great game, “Boogie Bunnies,” that fails in its core game play mechanics. It doesn’t offer anything that a large number of other puzzle games haven’t already done
and the game play seems overused and repetitive.
The premise of “Boogie Bunnies” is similar to many games that are based on falling colored brick games that players have seen before. However, this time around, instead of colored bricks moving towards the bottom
of the screen it is colored dancing bunnies. Also, instead of dropping other colored bunnies down on top of the stacks to create combos, players will shoot them upwards at the bunnies working their way down the
screen, players will also be able to shoot bunnies from the sides of the screen as well. It isn’t extremely different from the typical game of this type, but it is a little different. It is fairly obvious that the goal set for players is
to get rid of the colorful bunnies before they dance their way off of the ledge at the bottom of the screen, maybe it should have been called “Boogie Lemmings” instead. The game does offer a few elements that are quite
interesting and change the game play a little. Players are able to throw red bunnies that, when a combo is created, explode surrounding bunnies of the screen. Also, aqua bunnies, when a combo is created, cause the
rest of the bunnies on the screen to begin dancing, allowing players to score even more points. This element does add much to the game except for a little humor the first couple of times and a bit of difficulty because it
can become hard to see the different colored bunnies when they are dancing.
As with other puzzle games that are available on Xbox Live Arcade, there are multipliers in the game that help players rack up their score a little bit. While players are able to create combos with the bunnies, it usually
happens by chance rather than by strategy because the game moves at such a fast pace. The only multiplier that players actually have control over is the combo that occurs when the bunnies begin dancing. Players are
able to unlock different dance moves as they progress through each stage. One negative aspect of the multiplier is the fact that players can cheat the system and launch pieces off the side of the screen until they find a
matching color to shoot.
The single player game is split across three different modes of play including arcade, classic and endless. Though the game play doesn’t really change much between the three modes, there are slight differences.
There is also a multiplayer mode that is a little better than the single player mode. With cooperative local play and online matchups, players can play with friends, though the experience is nothing special. The
cooperative mode is okay, putting players and their friends in the same three sided puzzle, but they are not able to cross paths so there is a bit of strategy involved in completing each puzzle. Playing online is a little bit
different because players take turns at taking out the little carrot-munchers.
The final issue that players may have with the game is the fact that there is no way to tell what the next color is going to be. Like “Tetris,” it is an important part of the game so that players can plan their next move and
organize each shot to coincide with the next attack. Players will possibly feel as though they are aimlessly shooting bunnies around the screen in hopes of creating a combo that will rack up the score.
The game’s graphics are nice and the bunnies are detailed in a way that makes them look as cute as possible and many will find their dance moves both cute and funny. Obviously, players won’t have high expectations
of what a dancing bunny is supposed to look like, but the game looks accurate to what it would probably look like. With the great graphics comes another issue, the frame rate, which constantly flickers. Whenever there
are multiple bunny explosions occurring, the game lags and sometimes stops. It is very frustrating to see a game that looks so great graphically fail in the frame rate. Also, the sound of the game is nothing to really be
too impressed or unimpressed about; it just seems to be there.
Overall, the game has its ups and its downs and the question of whether to buy this game or not is determined by the individual gamer. For someone that is simply looking for a casual game to play from time to time
that is cute, this would be the perfect game. However, for the hardcore game, “Boogie Bunnies” isn’t going to show up in their list of Xbox Live Arcade games. If there is ever going to be a sequel to this game, a couple
of additions could make this a great game.
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