Fruit Ninja (iPhone Application) > Reviews (25)

Introduction

‘Chopping wood, chopping wood, I’m chopping wood’ - this is what a contestant (lunatic?) recently proclaimed on the latest series of Britain’s Got Talent. He was (quite rightly) looked at like a bit of a loser, because lets face it - watching someone slice things up isn’t particularly entertaining is it? What if you were in his shoes though? If my new addictive iPhone app is anything to go by, you’ll be collecting your machete and heading off to the Britain’s Got Talent auditions to show the world this - Fruit Ninja… who’s the loser now eh?

An App To Be Proud Of

Fruit Ninja is one of the latest hits on the app store and has been in the top 10 of the app charts for a number of weeks now. Retailing at only 59p a download, it’s easy to see why this app has become so popular. What else can you buy for 59p that brings you hours of entertainment, as, lets face it, a KitKat Chunky only has a very limited shelf life. That’s just what Fruit Ninja brings you though - hours upon hours of sheer entertainment and the key to that - simplicity.

To that end, it comes as no surprise that the premise of Fruit Ninja is a simple one - fruit is shot up in front of you from a trampoline (I only assume as you can’t see where it comes from), in order for you to swipe your finger across the screen the slice the unsuspecting fruit in half. Sounds dull doesn’t it! I thought so too so I held off downloading this, however, the undeniable persuasion power of the app charts weighed heavily on my mind until I finally conceded and downloaded this little gem. This may be a rather simple app, but, aren’t all the best apps simple? Doodlejump, Angry Birds and Zombie Smash to name but a few. Now the new ruler of the ‘best simple app’ title (an award I thought of all by myself - how inventive of me!) is of course Fruit Ninja.

Slicing Its Way Into Peoples Hearts

There are currently two game modes in which to play this game, with a third on the way in the next update. Classic Mode - this was obviously the first game mode that introduced us to the brilliance of Fruit Ninja. It’s all pretty simple really. The fruit gets tossed up to you and you slice it, unbeknownst to you on your first game that bombs will also make their way up the screen. You must be extremely careful not to even touch the bombs, as, like bombs do, they’ll explode and the game will be terminated. There is another way to lose the game though. You’re given 3 lifelines when you start which are represented by red outlined stars at the top right of the screen. If you fail to slice a piece of fruit before it disappears at the bottom of the screen, a lifeline will be deducted. 3 strikes and you’re out. The newest addition to Fruit Ninja is the Zen Mode. The Zen Mode is very similar to Classic Mode with only a few tweaks to the premise. This time, you’re given a 90 second time limit, no lifelines and no bombs. You slice as many fruit pieces as you can to gain the highest score possible.

Facebook VS Twitter

Once you’ve got a score that you’re happy with, you’re able to upload your score either to Facebook or Twitter.

Uploading is very simple, you enter your log in details, you’ll be shown the screen in which you’ll be uploading to your chosen social networking site (Facebook in my case) and then your score will show on the Live Feed page for all to see. Unfortunately, unlike Doodlejump. There isn’t anywhere for you to look at your friends top scores, the only leader board you can view is the worldwide leader board. Therefore, hopefully in a future update, this will be amended as it will bring some much needed longevity to the game.

In gameplay terms this app is immensely fun. The game takes a landscape view, enabling it to make full use of the iPhones touch screen, which works fantastically with this app. Sliding your finger across the screen takes minimal effort and it brings a lot childish enjoyment to me watching all the fruit be sliced in half (yes I do have the mental age of a 10 year old!). The game becomes progressively more challenging as you go on (in Classic Mode). You’ll get more fruit thrown up at you along with more bombs. The game becomes somewhat frantic rather quickly and it can be a real challenge to avoid all the bombs which are always in close quarters with the fruit, whilst slicing every single piece of fruit before it disappears off the screen. Of course, like most games the aim is to get the highest score possible. The best ways for you to end up with a high score is to try to slice combinations of fruit, these can be the same fruit or variations. Your points soon rack up if you’re slicing more than 2 fruit at once and occasionally you can replenish a life or two by hitting combinations.

Graphics

Graphics and sound wise this game is a definite winner. For such a small and insignificant app, with a simple premise the graphics really come up trumps here. All the fruit looks as realistic as it possibly could and there’s a suitable splat noise everytime you slice a fruit. The soundtrack does grate on your nerves a bit, but there’s an option to turn this off and just utilise the sound effects, which I recommend.

What Else Can You Get For 59p?

Overall, for a cheap and simple app this is a real winner. Graphics are crisp and clear, whilst the gameplay will keep you coming back for more. Connectivity and game modes could be improved upon, but that’s something that could easily be amended in future updates. If you’re looking for a something to occupy you in short 5 minute bursts then this is definitely something you should get your teeth into.

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