iBlast Moki is a physics based puzzle game by Godzilab Games for the iPhone or iPod Touch. The basic premise of the game is to get all the Moki’s in a level to a magic vortex. You accomplish this by using a verity of simple, easy to understand tools. You place and configure all your tools in a paused mode where time stands still. When you’re ready to see the results all you have to do is click the play button in the lower left corner and the sequence of events you created start. Once in play mode you cannot control everything. However one thing you can and will be doing a lot is resetting everything to fine tune your tools.
The bomb showing a preview of the trajectory its explosion will give the Moki.
At the start of the game the only tool you have available is the bomb. This is also the main and most important tool of the game. The bomb explodes sending anything in its immediate vicinity flying, including the Moki’s themselves –surprisingly not killing them, despite setting them on fire. As you progress you’ll get access to more tools like the rope, metal bar, wheel, bolt and balloon. The rope and metal bar work as expected. You can attach both ends to select surfaces or other tools, allowing you to build structures and vehicles. The wheel automatically rolls in the direction of the vortex no matter where in the level you place it. The bolt is simply a static attachment point, allowing you to place it midair and attach ropes and bars to it. Finally the balloon simply has one attach point, and whatever is on the other end is going to follow it sky high, depending on its combined weight.
All these are really simple and easy-to-use tools, but it’s in their combination the puzzle element emerges. You’ll be asked to time each bomb to allow a floating balloon with a Moki attached to pass a certain point, at which the bomb is supposed to explode popping the balloon and simultaneously sending the Moki flying in the right direction. Or you’ll have to create a bulldozer from a very limited amount of parts, at the same time taking physics into consideration as it has to be slow if enough not to pass the falling Moki before it hits the ground. Considering that there is no way to set the speed of its wheels you’ll have to figure out a way to slow it down without crippling the design.
So yes, the game has its fair share of challenges, so much so that I found myself scratching my head over the same puzzle for upwards of 30 minutes. Unless you’re a puzzle-solving god/goddess you’ll probably have the same problem. However the game is structured with this in mind.
The journey starts in the green woods and ends in the mountains.
The game is split into six chapters presented as a path of adventure on a landscape overview, within each chapter there are a varying amount of levels, the minimum being ten. All the chapters play roughly the same—without taking new tools and increased difficulty in consideration—one exception however is the chapter Waterland. In Waterland you are submerged underwater for the entire chapter, and since the round little Moki are apparently made of a material less dense then water they also always float upwards, effectively turning everything upside down.
The art style is in the same vain as Locoroco or Rolando with bright-colored, 2-D, cartoony-cute creatures. The graphics are probably the last criteria one should judge in a game like this from. But since this style of game-art is a bit overused at the moment; one could suggest that Godzilab should have been a little more daring and come up with an art style that would contain a hint of originality and flare.
A group of floating Moki puching the not floating MegaMoki to the vortex.
The sound design isn’t particularly good. Clashing objects have no sound effects. The Moki make a the exact same little noise every time they bash into something violently, over and over and over again. The music is also equally forgettable with only a few different melodies playing in the background, none of which are particularly good.
All in all, iBlast Moki is a very good little puzzle game. The gameplay is solid and it even includes a level editor on the side for those that enjoy self mutilation. Though the sound and visuals could be better; there are limits to what you can demand of a 1$ Mobile game. That’s right, it’s only $1. It’s more than worth it. If you have an iPhone or iPod Touch this is definitely a game I can recommend as a fun and cheap timewaster.