Here's a link to Azada: Azada
8.9 ultra recommended
The animals in the world's largest wildlife sanctuary and crate storage facility are in dire need of help! All the humans have fled under mysterious circumstances, leaving the cute critters of West Island, East Island, and South Island to fend for themselves. They have no food! Are they doomed? It looks likely. They can't buy food. They can't learn to cook. They can't even eat each other, because they're all too cute!
Luckily, Professor Fizzwizzle's computer/robot has noticed the mass human evactuation, and gets the Professor on the case. The Professor's got to put down his tuba and save each and every animal! And wouldn't you know it, the Professor's latest invention, the fizzball, might just do the trick. That's why I always say, if you're in a sticky situation, find a scientist.
Fizzball, from Grubby Games, is a Breakout clone. A "break all the bricks" type of game. In each level, Professor Fizzwizzle launches his fizzball onto the screen. The fizzball is a small, semipermeable bubble. It can absorb anything smaller than itself, and by absorbing objects, grow in size. It starts out so small that all it can absorb at first are coins, fruit, and nuts. But as those are consumed, it grows in size, until it can begin collecting animals! Soon it's as big as a horse and filled with horses. And monkeys, dogs, cats, frogs, and debris. Meanwhile, you control Professor Fizzwizzle in his rocket train at the bottom of the screen. (Luckily, each level is next to the islands' rail system.) When the fizzball approaches the bottom of the screen, you can bounce it upwards again so it isn't lost. Lose too many fizzballs, and the game ends.
Anything larger than the fizzball is an obstacle that it will bounce against. It's a lot of fun bouncing the fizzball off of animals. Most yelp or cry out. Some panic. Chickens lay eggs, frogs jump, squirrels squeak, pandas get knocked on their butts, etc. Don't worry, it's all in good fun. The animal sanctuary is littered with crates (many filled with apples or coins, as you'd expect) and odd patterns of white-washed fence. These obstacles can be broken by hitting them with the fizzball enough times. And when the fizzball becomes larger, it has enough mass to destroy them in one hit.
Some crates and barrels have bonus items, like cash money or temporary powerups for the fizzball or improvements to Professor Fizzwizzle's rocket train. Someone (we never find out who) tied these powerups to helium balloons, and you'll have to collect them with the rocket train as they float to the bottom of the screen if you want to activate them. There are the standard powerups that every Breakout clone employs: make the fizzball go faster, make the rocket train wider, allow it to catch and release the fizzball, etc. But there are also cool new powerups, like one that creates a freak nut/berry rainstorm. And my favorite, a powerup that gives the fizzball the ability to attract - and pull in - nearby animals and fruit. I cannot stress strongly enough how amused I was to see nuts, apples, frogs, squirrels, ducklings, turtles, koalas, etc. getting pulled toward and then sucked into the fizzball as it bounced around the screen. Diet Dr Pepper shot out of my nose.
There are also quite a lot of trees in each level. This creates a problem, because squirrels, monkeys, and koalas like to hang out in the trees where the fizzball can't reach them. Are they that stupid that they don't want to be saved? Yes, they are. But if you bounce the fizzball against the base of the tree, they'll fall to the ground and you can catch them before they run back up again. (Quite comical.) As for birds, you have to destroy a lot of the crates and barrels where they perch, and knock them out of trees, and eventually they'll land on the ground and the fizzball can scoop them up.
By the end of each level, the fizzball will be filled with all sorts of animals and debris, mixing around in a great jumble. You may be wondering, "Aren't they hurt bouncing around in there like kernels in a popcorn popper?" Well, here at least is one spot where the game takes a little poetic license. Tumbled around in tight quarters though they are, they remain unhurt.
You almost expect the animals to ride the fizzball into space, and meet some alien kids on a starship.
Fizzball has great graphics. There are dozens and dozens of different animals, and all are well animated. They're fun to rescue. The game has a consistent, cartoony artistic style that is a pleasure to play. You can tell Grubby Games spent a lot of time polishing the game. There are weather effects, like explosive rainstorms that shake the screen, and snow. The bonus levels (of which there are quite a few) are interesting and break up the slight monotony of the normal levels. A "special kids mode" is also included which sounds like it would be great for kids.
Sounds like a neat twist on Breakout. You cannot go wrong with a classic! Thanks, Casual Explosion!