Developer: FuturLab

Publisher: FuturLab

Ever imagined yourself as a crab scuttling around on a beach, dodging falling coconuts and collecting treasure as you do so? Well, fear not, FuturLab have created a little action-puzzler (for want of a better description) for the PlayStation minis service, which lets you do just that.

Playing as a treasure-hunting crab called Clawrence (the Indiana Jones of the crab world), you need to move from side-to-side to collect the falling treasure – in the form of gold, diamonds and rubies – whilst dodging the falling coconuts and getting a huge score whilst you’re at it. The main game mode, which is where you’ll be headed initially, has you facing a series of levels of progressive difficulty which you must successfully navigate to progress and get that treasure (and massive score) you’re after. Get hit by a coconut, though, and you have to try again from the beginning.

The game is continuous, so each level comes straight after the last. Part of the level sees you grabbing your treasure whilst avoiding randomly dropping coconuts, and another has you navigating the coconut mazes (more on those in a minute). After each level there’s a random drop of gold which you must scurry to collect, followed by a short break before you need to get dodging again. It’s simple at heart, but there are a few little additions which add to the core gameplay and help you out if you’re in a jam, including a turbo mode, beach balls and a viking helmet.

When you’re thrown a beach ball, you must stand underneath it to play “keepie uppie” for a certain number of hits, after which point it’ll pop. If it’s a yellow ball you’ll receive a points bonus, and if it’s a blue ball all the falling coconuts will be temporarily slowed, allowing for easier dodging. At various point you’ll also be thrown a viking helmet; if you catch it, you’ll be rendered invulnerable for a short period of time. Coconuts will break when they hit you (with a satisfying cracking sound) and you will get a few points for breaking each one, which is pretty neat.

Clawrence himself also has a few tricks of his own up his sleeve (although, do crabs have sleeves?). By default you move rather slowly, which isn’t always enough to navigate your way through the falling coconuts. Hold down the X button and you get a speed boost; double tap and hold it for a Super Turbo. He can also creep if you hold Circle. Using these is crucial to navigating some mazes, as you need both speed and precision. Clawrence can also dig underground for a short period if you press Triangle, but it’s not hugely useful and you’ll want to spend most of your time above ground.

So, those mazes. These really are the focus of the game and are also where you can score the most points. Coconuts will fall in a set formation, creating paths which you must get through whilst collecting the treasure inside. Some mazes only have one way through, whilst others have multiple routes you can take. Certain paths can ensure your safety, but these typically aren’t worth as many points. The riskier routes generally contain diamonds, which are worth a lot more, so it’s up to you whether you play it safe to progress or take the dangerous routes for the high score.

Any maze that you’ve cleared in the main game mode can be played again from the main menu via Maze Master. In this mode it’s not just about getting through in one piece, it’s about the score. As you start your selected maze, a score requirement pops up on screen and you must achieve it to “master” that particular maze. Doing so often requires you to make a perfect run through the dangerous routes, so it can be quite tricky. The main issue with this mode is that unless you can make it far through the main game, you won’t actually have many mazes unlocked.

The game’s visuals are worth a mention, being one of the most striking aspects of the game. Everything is bright and cheery, giving it the perfect ‘beach’ feel. The animations are great and everything runs along nice and smoothly. Similarly, the audio is fantastic, with a catchy theme tune that plays throughout the game. Some tunes can grate your nerves after a while, but I’ve been playing Coconut Dodge for a while now and I’ve yet to get annoyed. I even crank the volume right up when I’m playing (much to the dismay of those around me).

All in all, Coconut Dodge is definitely worth your attention. The gameplay is fun and addictive, although can be very challenging at times seeing as you can only take one hit before losing. Nevertheless, it’s a “one more go” game, and you’ll want to spend time trying to beat the developers’ scores on the leaderboard. It’s great for both short blasts and longer sessions, and the presence of maze master gives it added replayability. Oh, did I mention it’s also £1.99 until the beginning of July? At that price, you can’t afford to pass this mini up.

I’ve also been speaking to FuturLab about Coconut Dodge, and it’s worth noting that they’re working on an update in response to early feedback and criticism. In essence, they’re making a great game even better. What are you waiting for?