iGame Radio

If you are looking for a match-3 game that will kick ass and take names, you might want to give Babo Crash by Playbrains a look. Officially launching for the iPhone on March 29th (and for the Android, for you Google phone lovers), Babo Crash takes the idea of Bejeweled and puts it on acid.

The game is based on the XBLA and Steam game “Madballs: Babo Invasion.” The core match-3 game is boosted with arcade-style action, by the inclusion of enemies to destroy, heroes with powers to attack your enemies, and the ability to tilt your iPhone screen to alter the gravity acting on the gems.

You have to collect your quota of gems each level, but once you do you can hit overtime if you have time left and have reached your goal quickly enough. Heroes are created by making matches of four or more. Their powers are triggered by including them in a match or destroying them with the powers of other heroes. Enemies, called chompiis, will show up and prevent you from making matches, so you need to get rid of them as soon as possible. You do that by either splatting them in a nearby match, or with a hero power.

The game is fast-paced, and becomes even more so when you regularly start accessing heroes and their powers. You can guide the movements of these heroes on the screen by tilting the screen back and forth, though you can quickly lose track of just what is being destroyed. Some of the hero powers are quite amusing, such as Aescu, who projectile vomits to destroy enemies and gems. Ewwwww!

There are 21 levels, and after level 10 you’ll be putting some serious effort into the game. I found that sometimes swapping gems became a two-step process when I had to do it twice, but there are two methods to use: tapping and swiping. So use the method that seems to work best for you. Though my version didn’t have it, there will also be a resume function, so if you get a call or jump out of the game, you can resume at the level you stopped at. You can also keep track of your score and achievements with OpenFeint.

Oh, and the game will have full iPad support as well (though to be honest, I’m not so certain how well the tilt function will work on an iPad). Check out the trailer, and look for it March 29th for $0.99!