Virus Jigglin' Fever

If you really like breakout clones with nes gameplay and graphics... you really are into obscure hobbies man... Basically would be easier to recommend if the gameplay didn't feel so stiff... the base game seems decent enough if you're really into the genre... such as it is.

Virus Jigglin' Fever is a lazy port of what appears to be a pretty decent mobile game. When I first wrote this review the price was a whopping $5, but it's now been lowered to $2 to match the mobile version, so kudos to the devs for that. The gameplay is a take on the "breakout" arcade game. You must bounce balls to destroy the viruses (blocks), but the ball must be the same color as the virus it hits in order to clear it, and the ball changes color each time it bounces off your paddle. The paddle is actually carried by the pixelated little person you control, and instead of freely moving and stopping as in most games of this genre, you move between 5 levels. By default the paddle is not large enough to cover an entire level, so often you must time your move between the levels to be able to keep the ball in play. There are the usual assortment of power-ups, and hitting some viruses with a wrong colored ball can have mildly unpleasant side effects. Some userfriendly touches involve a helpful display letting you know the color the ball will become after the next bounce so that you can plan ahead, the ball only cycling through colors of viruses which are still present in the le…

Although at first glance the game may seem like your standard Breakout clone, the mechanics of switching colors and collecting power-ups add an extra element of chaos to the game. There's something satisfying about firing off multiple spiked balls at once and watching them tear through the waves of viruses. The NES-style music and deliberately silly story are a nice touch as well. It's a little on the simplistic side, but if you're in the mood for a puzzle game I'd say it's well worth its price.

With the theme of Dr. Mario, but the gameplay and patience needed to play Break Out! I like the look and music, but I have to play it in small quantities or else my patience wears thin from waiting to get the right color and angle (and item, GIVE ME MULTIBALL OR MINES, dangit!) to clear out the viruses. It's cheap, so I can recommend it if the look fits your fancy and you have the patience for it.

Fun little Breakout clone, like the horizontal framing and fun little cutscenes. Good sprite work too, color twist on the whole breaking blocks thing is appreceated. It's only two bucks, well worth the cost.

The definition of a "If you're bored, why not" game. Upon booting it up, you are struck with a charming little cutscene and are kicked into a horizontal Breakout/Doctor Mario combination. The first couple rounds are fun, and the mechanics are introduced organically. The story is placeholder, although a fun one, but not the real draw. For the record, Virus Jigglin' Fever is a mobile game, and not the worst one at that. It was designed by only a few people, but even with the fact that this is probably their first game, there is an impressive effort here to make this game more than just a Breakout clone. The animations in particular on the sprites are eye catching, and every new enemy introduced can spice up the tedium just enough to make the tedium potentially more interesting. However, this does not take away from the poor design decisions that can ultimately bore the player to death, which if done slightly differently or a bit more polished, they could've made a solid little game. Sadly this is not the case. One of the most infuriating aspects of design comes from the base game itself; every enemy is a specific color, and the only way to remove them from the board is to hit them …