toy story review

US iTunes, App Store, iBookstore, and Mac App Store

Format: iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch

Developer: Disney

I don’t think there is a person on the planet who has not seen or at the very least heard of Toy Story. I think that all three movies are fantastic. But one thing that may surprise a number of people is that Toy Story actually has a history of having decent video game adaptations. Toy Story 3 for example is one of the best kids games I have had the pleasure to play. So my family and I were really excited to try out this latest Toy Story game.

Toy Story: Smash It looks great. This really is not surprising as presentation is not something Disney do half assed. The game looks great and could easily be confused with a full on console game. While the game does feature many of your favourite Toy Story characters. You only get to play as Buzz which I am sure may disappoint some kids, but lets face it this is Disney and I would be very surprised if there was not an update at some point that at the very least lets us play as Woody.

So what kind of game is this? Well Toy Story: Smash It is a physics based puzzle game. And before you start thinking it is an Angry Birds rip off it actually has far more in common with the gem of a game Boom Box that was released on the Nintendo Wii. This is a 3D physics based game instead of a 2D one like Angry Birds.

The basic idea of the game is that you as Buzz Lightyear need to knock down a series of buildings using a variety of things. You most common for of attack is balls, but you also use balloons and other stuff as well. On top of the structures are the aliens. The cute ones from the actual movie and the goal is that you need to knock them down in as few throws as possible. What makes this so great is that you can move around the structure to hit it  at different angles. As well as the aliens there are three spelling blocks on each level for you to try and get as well. You will need to get these if you want that three star ranking.

There are four different episodes for you to play in. The first set will see you up against your arch nemesis and dad Zurg. You also will need to stop a bank robbery, save a princess and even travel through time. So there is a great variety to the different levels. Also I would be very surprised if at some point Disney did not add some new levels.

While it may not be the most original game. Toy Story: Smash It is very fun. It does get quite challenging and if you are downloading this for your kids then on more than a few occasions you will need to help them out, but this is part of the games charm. As it makes for a great way to sit on the couch and play the game together with your kids. At only a buck this is a game that is well worth the price.

US iTunes, App Store, iBookstore, and Mac App Store