Review: The Club Penguin App 1.3

One-point-three's a company.

Source: Apple

First of all, I have to say the rooms on iPad are interesting.  This transport is definitely a very cool effort and it's nice that rooms are being added so quickly.  However, I don't see myself spending much time in them.  My iPad constantly lags when I enter them and at times even crashes.  I believe this will be fixed in the future, but, until then, I'm steering clear of this feature.

Source: Club Penguin

Then there's the second major update to the app: the addition of Smoothie Smash.  This too proves to be a nice thought that really ends up being a love-hate relationship.

Sure, it's nice to see the new penguin designs put into this game.  It's also nice to see the new mechanics, such as the golden apple feature.  But, I find moving with the penguin is less than fluid.  It feels sloppy and uneven - it doesn't make for as fun of an experience as it could have been for a game that seems made to be experienced on the iPad.

That being said, Survival Mode in the app is surprisingly far easier than it is on the computer.  I bested my best time on the computer by two minutes the first time I played it on the iPad.  Which leads me to my other gripe with the app...

While Card-Jitsu Snow allows stamps to be earned, every other game in the app has that feature turned off.  Now, I realize that many of the games in the app differ from their online counterparts, but, I feel this feature should be added in some way to allow for more replayability.

Source: Club Penguin

Speaking of games that have stamps on the online version but lack them in the mobile adaption, Pizzatron 3000 is also in this update.  This isn't mid-2000's Pizzatron anymore; the new look differs greatly from that of the online version.  I really like this sleek update.  From the character appearances (à la Smoothie Smash) to the new feature of creating your own pizza, everything looks and feels very nice.  I'm also glad that Cookietron is here with its own update.

The gameplay of Pizzatron is the new highlight of the whole app.  Pizzatron was made to be played on iPad.  Unlike Smoothie Smash, everything flows seamlessly.  Here to, I have beaten my online best score.

Source: Riffy

So, in closing, this app update is a mixed bag.  With some refinements to Smoothie Smash and rooms, I think they could join the glory that Pizzatron is now engulfed in.  I can't wait to see where this app goes next.

As Billybob would say, Waddle On!
- Chillin43