Fling! Game Review

Fling!
By CandyCane LLC

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There is no shortage of puzzle games in the Apple app store, but it’s hard to tell which ones are worth playing. Fling!, by CandyCane LLC, is definitely worth your time, and here’s why:

Gameplay: 5/5
As the name suggests, this game consists of a lot of flinging. Flinging fuzzballs, to be exact. The goal is to remove all the balls from the board, by flinging one into another. The controls are simple, and work perfectly for a touchscreen device. You simply swipe your finger over a fuzzball in the direction you want it to go. They can only be moved towards another fuzzball in the same line, but it can’t be directly next to it. The game is easy to learn and incredibly addictive, but the puzzles can get pretty challenging.

There are four different game modes To keep you busy: Arcade, Free Play, Challenge and Frenzy. Arcade mode has a timer and can be played in easy, medium or hard difficulty levels. You need to complete as many puzzles as you can, as fast as you can. Each puzzle is timed separately, so just focus on one puzzle at a time.

Free Play does not have a timer, and you can play any levels that you’ve unlocked at any time. You can also skip a certain number of puzzles if you’re having trouble. It’s the most casual mode of the game.

Challenge mode is similar to Free Play, only you need to complete a series of puzzles (usually six) to move on to the next level.

Frenzy is the most unique mode of the four. The screen is constantly filling up with more fuzzballs. You can only remove fuzzballs by flinging them into others of the same color. You can still fling them into other colors, but only to move them around, not to get rid of them. You have to get rid of a certain number of balls in order to move on to the next level.

Luckily, you get a limited number hints you can use if you get stuck in any of the games. But use them wisely, because you could get stuck later and have no hints left. There is the option of buying more hints through IAPs if you so desire.

Graphics: 4/5
While the fuzzballs are cute, some folks may understandably get tired of looking at them. Luckily, there are various themes to choose from, including marbles and fruit. The graphics are clean and polished, with cute animations as the fuzzballs are flung. The last one explodes onto fireworks before it disappears.

Audio: 3.5/5
The music in Fling! is light and cheerful, but nothing to call home about. It’s pleasant and not too distracting, but does get old after a while. I also couldn’t find any option to listen to your own music.
There aren’t many sound effects in the game, other than the fuzzballs popping onto the board or bumping into others. But there really doesn’t need to be, as there’s only really one move. So in that sense, the sound effects serve their purpose.

Replay Value: 5/5
In addition to the four different game modes, you’ll kill plenty of time with this game trying to beat your own best scores and achieve a gold metal for each level. Add the GameCenter leaderboards and 20 achievements, and Fling! will keep you busy for quite a while.

Conclusion: 4.5/5
If you like puzzles that are simple to learn but challenging to master, you’ll want to try Fling! It’s perfect if you have a few minutes to kill or even hours. Even if you get bored of it from overuse, you’ll likely keep it on your device and come back to play once in a while.

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