As a fan of casual titles, I tend to prefer my Android gaming in short bursts. I’d rather trade off high-res graphics and immerse experiences for cute and clever stuff that I can drop in and out of without worry. On the surface, Twin Jellies appeared as if it might be the sort of stuff that I’m into: simple to learn with high replay value. As it turns out, I got it half right.
After playing a few rounds of Twin Jellies I found myself wondering if there wasn’t something else that I might have been missing. I had figured out the mechanics rather quickly and the object seemed straightforward; what else is there? Sadly, not much.
Setup
There isn’t much involved in getting this one going once downloaded to your phone or tablet. You’ll get a login screen for Google Play Games which is nice because it collects achievements and keeps a leaderboard. This way you can see how you stack up against your friends or other players around the world.
Each time you open the game you are hit in the face with a full screen advertisement. You don’t even get to change options or settings before this thing pops up. Indeed, you can turn off ads for a $1.99 fee but it doesn’t unlock any other options, features, or characters. Other than that it’s a straightforward path to your game.
Options
You won’t find a whole lot of settings to toggle in Twin Jellies. Sure, you can enable or disable music and sound, check leaderboards, and get a quick “how to” screen, but that’s about it. The game simply doesn’t offer much in the way of characters or customization. I would have loved to pick up different jellies along the way. Heck, why not throw in a few skins with the $1.99 in-app purchase? Something, anything, would have been nice.
Gameplay
It takes you all of two seconds to figure out how to play Twin Jellies. You just tap the screen to slide your jelly character from side to side on the platform. Your object is to collect the falling coins or candies, or whatever they are. Get the wrong color and you’re out.
Starting off you have one jelly, either yellow or purple. After collecting a handful of coins you’ll find yourself in charge of two of them. While it sounds easy, this does get a tad tricky. Now you’re in charge of tapping both of them when need be to ensure they collect the right colors.
I would have liked to see more colors introduced or something else added to the game. After playing maybe ten times I found myself not caring at all whether I returned or tried for a higher score. The game never felt any different upon replay. A third color, boosters, or something to ensure things feel fresh at least once in a while.
Graphics
Cute and simple, there’s not much flash here. I did not expect much more than what I got from Twin Jellies. There’s a minimal amount of moving pieces on the board at any given time and you won’t be distracted by anything going on in the background. With that said, I’d be content with a wider palette of backgrounds or random selections of characters.
Replay Value
Suffice it to say, I have uninstalled this one. I played Twin Jellies for a grand total of about 20 times and found myself increasingly aggravated by the overall experience. I briefly thought about paying to remove the ads and realized that would have cost me twice as much as I would have liked to spend. Toss in the fact that there was nothing else gained by the purchase and I walked away.
Summary
You could do much better for your time if you’re looking for a casual game with simple mechanics and replay value. This one starts out promising but fades in no time at all. Toss in a few extra options or randomize the game a little more and you’re nearly there. Unfortunately, there are far too many other games in this genre more worthy of my time.
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