There’s only one app that I’ve had on my iPhone since Day 1, and have never uninstalled or re-downloaded. That app is the addictive puzzle game Amazing Breaker. My only beef with this game is that it takes forever for new level packs to come out. Finally, Level Pack 2 (the third group of levels overall) was released last week. I took the weekend to play through the entire game again, including the new level pack. Is this game worth buying? Is the new level pack worth checking out? Read on to find out!

What is it and what does it do

Main Functionality

Amazing Breaker is a puzzle game where you must use a variety of projectiles to completely destroy various shapes carved out of ice. You must destroy at least 90% of each shape in order to progress to the next level.

Pros

• Addictive gameplay with a ton of different projectiles to keep things fresh
• Counting the original level pack, plus the two additional level packs, there are 320 levels to conquer
• Plenty of achievements to unlock
• High replay value: it takes clever strategy and planning to get three stars on all levels
• The new level pack introduces two new bombs!
• Has free and paid versions

Cons

• You do need to pay to unlock each bonus level pack (however, you get 100 levels for 99 cents, which is a good deal compared to other games with this pricing structure.)
• Some of the new levels seem surprisingly easy, which is a bit disappointing
• The wait between new level packs is agonizingly long

Discussion

I meant what I said back there in the intro: this is the only game (heck, the only app) that I’ve had on my iPhone nonstop since day 1. The replay value is immense, and the gameplay itself is perfectly suited for any kind of downtime, from waiting for the bus to chilling out on the couch after a hard day’s work. It’s intellectually challenging while still being really fun!

There are tons of different bombs available to destroy each ice sculpture, and you have some flexibility in terms of when each bomb gets deployed. That flexibility is what makes the game so addictive: there are tons of ways to deploy your strategies to get a perfect score.

The newest level pack introduces two brand-new bombs to add another layer of difficulty to the gameplay. The first is the sniper crystal, a single crystal that doesn’t cause any explosions on impact, but that can be deployed to hard-to-reach areas of the board to create chains.

The other new weapon in your ice-cracking arsenal is the spider bomb. This bomb explodes on impact, unless you shoot it towards an undetonated crystal. If you line up the shot correctly, the spider latches onto the crystal, and then generates a five-pointed crystalline pentagon around a central point. This makes for some pretty epic explosions!

Conclusion and download link

If you love puzzles, Amazing Breaker is one of the most consistently enjoyable games on the App Store. The new level pack is definitely worth buying: despite some too-simple levels, there are other new levels that are wonderfully, fiendishly difficult. If you haven’t played it, you should. If you have played it in the past, check out the new level pack.

Price: 99 cents (a free version is also available)

Version reviewed: 1.40

Supported OS: Requires iOS 4.3 or later

Download size: 45.8 MB

Amazing Breaker on Apple App Store