[06.30.11] Review: 'Doodle Fit'

Gamelion Studios

Gamelion Studios

Doodle Fit for Android

Rating:

4 Stars

With the overwhelming success of Doodle Jump, many other games are hopping on the doodle wagon in an attempt to boost sales. Today’s free app, Doodle Fit is no different. A simple an unoriginal puzzle game challenging you to fit Tetris-like pieces perfectly into a specified area has been reskinned in either chalk or ink – your choice – in attempts to add some charm to the game. Featuring 100 levels of increasing difficulty, stat tracking, and the ability to simultaneously have up five separate profiles solving puzzles at their own pace on one device; Doodle Fit is a nice little package at a cheap price waiting to waste away the hours with you.

The Good:

Graphics are sharp and right on tune with what you would expect from a ‘doodle game. You can choose to stick to ink scribbled down on a notepad or flip to chalk scrawled across a chalkboard if that’s more your taste. Theirs nice music in the background to eliminate awkward silence, but it really adds nothing special to the game and could be potentially frustrating if you’re the type who prefers peace and quiet while trying to concentrate.

One of the most unique things about Doodle Fit is, surprisingly the controls. You wouldn’t really think there was a way to revolutionize ‘click and drag’ controls on a touchscreen device; however, this game throws a wrench into the system. Instead of the piece you’re manipulating sitting directly below your finger, everything is done roughly an inch above where you’re dragging your finger. This seems a bit strange at first; however, there are a few incredibly easy levels at the start of the game to help you familiarize yourself with the new setup. Once you get comfortable with it, you’ll realize it’s actually a massive convenience because now you can actually see where you’re placing pieces since your hand isn’t covering the playing field.

The Bad:

The number of themes is quite limited for a ‘doodle game’. Given, each one is developed by a separate company, however in most ‘doodle games’ you’ll find numerous themes to choose between just to spice things up. It also could have added a little more incentive to complete puzzles in Doodle Fit by having additional themes be rewards for completing a set number of puzzles. Instead, your only reward for knocking out a chunk of puzzles is… more puzzles.

The Ugly:

This kind of game can be found in many forms across the Amazon and Android markets, so paying for one seems kind of silly. Considering the only thing you can change about this type of game is the aesthetics, there really is no reason to pay extra for one version unless you desperately want the ‘doodle’ theme.

Bottom Line:

Doodle Fit is certainly an entertaining game, but it’s nothing groundbreaking. Considering there are plenty of free alternatives, it’s really only worth picking up today while it’s free or if you’re trying to keep a universal ‘doodle’ theme across your phone. If you’re really set on Doodle Fit and miss the deadline, consider picking up its ad supported version instead.

Doodle Fit was created by Gamelion Studios and is Amazon’s free app of the day for 6/30/11. It typically sells for $0.99