Bean Dreams, the sequel to Kumobius's Bean's Quest, is a platformer with
a twist. Playing as a Mexican jumping bean, players have a limited
amount of jumps to make it to the end of a level. Kumobius has really
refined the formula here, and the levels are short and sweet, perfect
for mobile gaming.
The Good
I
love the colors, they're reminiscent of old freeware platformers, and
are sharp from the 3GS (which is still supported) to the iPad Air. The
shortening of the levels eliminates a ton of frustration. I hate games
that force you to play a long level that belongs on a console, when
mobile platformers are so much more readily suited to short bursts of
gameplay, and Bean Dreams alleviates these frustrations beautifully. The
controller support is also much appreciated for those longer home play
experiences.
The Bad
The game is a bit too easy, which
leads to a fun experience ending way too soon. The restart button is
handy and a great edition, but it would be great if it had the option to
go back to the start of the level as well as the last checkpoint. As it
stands, you've just got to completely restart, which can be extremely
frustrating.
The Verdict
Bean Dreams is a great example of
a platformer that is almost completely perfect for mobile. Although it
is a bit easy, the short snippets of gameplay are perfect for busting
out the game on the go. The game can be completely fairly easily, but
more levels have been promised, and it's great to see a mobile developer
so readily supporting their game.
