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Review: Bean Dreams – a how-to in platform games

Colorful platformer with more character than most

When we talk retro games, we know what to expect – the pixelated, blocky characters jumping ungracefully through a sharp-edged world all the time soundtracked by the very latest 8-bit technology has to offer. Bean Dreams (the sequel to Bean’s Quest) takes us to another place in the gaming timeline, where soaring, synth-laden themes aren’t forgotten. The game really plays up the fruit power ups, the bright colours, and the blue skies with impossibly fluffy clouds. It also take the Sonic-inspired soundtrack and puts it all into a compact little platformer that takes influence from seemingly everything. You’ll find green pipes, juicy cherries to strive for, and the round red springboards that allow you to get around faster.

The only things we’re really missing are some gold rings.

Beautifully inspired levels – Bean Dreams has great graphical design

Beautifully inspired levels – Bean Dreams has great graphical design

Instead, we’re graced with the presence of a little bouncing green bean with a delightful Mexican sombrero. The controls are simple, but do take a little getting used to – tap on the right of the screen and you bounce up to the right, tap on the left, and he bounces back the other way. It sounds easy, but once you get up on platforms and move around, the movements can seem a little tricky. As usual, there are obstacles to avoid, or bounce on to kill.

Some of the platform motifs may seem familiar...

Some of the platform motifs may seem familiar…

Bean Dreams doesn’t get boring quickly, however. With each of its 40 levels, more gloriously illustrated items are added, whether they’re for you to collect, bounce off of, or just for general decoration. The design develops alongside the gameplay itself.

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Try and complete the levels without bouncing more than once

Of course, there are tasks to complete – but they’re more than your average platformer. Rather than just collecting the items, or finishing in a certain time, you can also attempt to complete the level in a certain number of jumps, as well as collecting the Axolotl – this little character you can see in the bottom right of the screenshot above.

New characters arrive later on – this mean looking block can be used to get a leg up to the pipe

New characters arrive later on – this mean looking block can be used to get a leg up to the pipe

Bean Dreams doesn’t break the boundaries of the iOS platform game, but considering these types of titles crop up on the App Store every week, this one certainly stands above the others and plays so much better, too. If you’re looking for something simple, moderately challenging, and great fun – then look no further, than Bean Dreams.

Price: $2.99 / £2.29
Version: 1.0
Size: 41.7 MB
Platform: iOS Universal
Developer: Kumobius

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