Mandy's Bouncin' Pets

Have you ever played nurse or doctor? More to the point, have you ever tried to practice your medical know-how on your pet? Well if you have, or if you’ve been told off by your parents for unnecessarily putting your kittens arms and legs in cardboard tubing (vaguely resembling a plaster cast) for the twentieth time, then you’ll probably be a little more up to speed with this rather cute game.

You play as Mandy, the enthusiastic nurse who’s armed with her trusty harpoon syringe. Your mission is to combat the effects of a rather cruel kidney bean, Flatus, who spends the time bloating all the poor, sweet, cuddly animals which are cursed to bounce around the screen until they burst unless you can rush to their aid. To deflate these innocent animals, you must line up your shot and pull the trigger, by doing so you will fire your syringe harpoon towards the sky and if you’re lucky, you’ll hit your target and get one step closer to curing the animal.

However, this game’s not quite as simple as all that, indeed, if you fail to make your mark, you leave yourself wide open and defenceless to the bouncing advances of the very creatures you’re trying to help. Also, should you not cure your animals by repeatedly jabbing them with your syringe, they’ll re-inflate and force you to keep trying until you’ve cleared the stage.

The bouncing critters are incredibly adorable and yes, despite the repetitive action that this particular game has to offer, it is highly addictive and warrants repeat plays. The rather unpredictable nature of these bouncing and volatile animal targets gives you more than enough challenges to keep you guessing and playing again and again.

This funny and vibrant adventures of each level are quite creative. Whether it’s trying to foil the cunning traps which have been set for you by Flatus or simply trying to duck for cover whilst picking your shot and hoping for the best, your thumbs will be glued to the control pad for many hours.

The controls are simple, left and right on the key or d-pad moves you in the chosen direction (for lining up your shot or running for cover), to fire your harpoon syringe, simply pressing 5 or the OK button will trigger the shot. Just remember to be wise when you decide to fire your ‘weapon’ as if you miss, you have to wait until the harpoon syringe reaches the top of the screen and disappears for it to become reloaded and available again for you to use.

The traps you will encounter are a mixture of simple and crafty designs. Some levels will have impenetrable platforms, others will have layers which disappear as soon as you touch them with your syringe. As you can possibly imagine, one overly eager shot can cause hilarious consequences.

You score points for clearing each level. By hitting the animals quickly and accurately, you will of course receive more points than if you are less accurate. You receive additional points for capturing the fully deflated creatures once you have cured them – but you must be quick and also try to avoid losing a life by being hit by the other bouncing animals.

Overall then, this game offers great entertainment and addictive qualities which are worthy of your attention. The repetition unlike many other titles helps keep the game familiar and fun and the subtle differences between one level and another gives you a slight twist every time.

Rating 88%

Positives

Cute graphics and light-hearted action game

Addictive and entertaining

Challenging but not impossible

Negatives

A bit repetitive

More advanced gamers may find this a little too immature and basic