If you were gaming in the early 1990s, odds are one of the titles you were addicted to was Lemmings. It’s an iconic follow-the-leader puzzle game, and exists for iOS as a true port with a prehistoric skin because of licencing issues as Caveman. Now BulkyPix has a new game, Save the Furries, which borrows from the same premise. Players lead little green “furries” from a starting point to an end point by eliminating obstacles and making sure the requisite number of creatures reach safety. If offers a visually pleasing experience, high production value and a great and not overdone puzzling concept for a change. I like it, but at $3.99 with some issues, it’s best suited to the puzzle-game obsessed. There are equally good or better games available at a fraction of the cost.
On the upside, as mentioned, the 3D graphics shine. The characters during play and especially in the animations are charming — even original — and the backgrounds are lush. The controls, which involve pushing objects like pinballs and crates into place with a finger, work well. The learning curve is not too steep and the challenges are varied. Game Center leader boards and achievements add some replay value.
Troublesome is the price tag: It’s on the steep side for this genre. It would be justified, but there are two problems that make it hard to overlook. The screen space for a game this rich is just not sufficient. It is hard to see the piece you control, so responsiveness notwithstanding, maneuvering things precisely is hard. And, during testing, the game was prone to sporadic crashing, particularly after level 15.
Save the Furries’ visual charm and Lemmings-like challenge make it a nice, if not stellar, addition to a puzzle-game collection.
