Kahoots Review (iPhone)

Kahoots is an interesting puzzle game for the iPhone (version reviewed) and iPad from Honeyslug that started off life as a PSP Mini. The aim of the game is to guide your Kahoot to safety, and if possible, snarfing any tasty cake on the way. However, your Kahoot can’t jump and will blindly walk in any direction available. It is very reminiscent of Lemmings in many ways, but in Kahoots you’re able to move blocks to create a safe path for your Kahoot. Each level is composed of a variety of moveable blocks like spike, sweets and button blocks to cannons, trap doors, reverse and jump blocks.

What starts off as a simple game of moving a blocks ahead of your Kahoot, quickly gets a lot more complicated when your Kahoot is being blasted out of cannons or falling through trap doors all over the place. Then to make matters worse the later levels feature another inhabitant; Cardborgs. These nasty Cardborgs roam around eating up any cardboard and tasty Kahoots they come into contact with. Nom! However, you need these Cardborgs to clear out any cardboard boxes that stand between your Kahoot and the level exit. So you direct them as you do your Kahoot via block swapping. As you’d imagine it gets very hectic trying to keep your Kahoot safely away from these Cardborgs. Also there are some blocks that you can’t move, which become a real pain when they are make of spikes.

Interestingly, you don’t get to read any instructions on how to play Kahoots, instead you are schooled through the medium of song from the vocal Pegbeast. Yes, songs. This novel way of schooling the player, coupled with the technocolour graphics are an assault the senses the first few times you play the game. Apparently all the graphics are based on items bought or found in charity shops which is quite cool. Whilst I wanted the Pegbeast to shut its Peg shaped trap the first few times I heard it, but after I’d played Kahoots for a while I began to like his little songs. He/she/it grows on you.

As I mentioned before that Kahoots is reminiscent of Lemmings, which is pretty much how I played it. Start the level, hit the pause button, zoom out to work out my plan of attack and then kill/save my Kahoot. On many occasions I found myself frantically swapping blocks under the very feet of my inherently suicidal Kahoot. Like Angry Birds you will be hitting the restart level button a lot.

The only real problem I had with Kahoots was using my 2 fingers to move the camera aound the level (as you use 1 finger to move the blocks). I found it all a bit cumbersome and I kept hitting the menu button at the top left of the screen which got a bit annoying. Oh, and the music does begin to grate after a while, but that is easily solved by hitting the mute button.

There are 50 levels to play, many of which are pretty challenging, especially if you try to collect every bit of cake. A quick thanks to the level designer for plonking the bits of cake in some really awkward places. Grrr. I got quite a few hours of gameplay through just escaping the levels. Fortunately, all of the levels are available to play at any time, so you don’t have to play them in sequence. The difficultly level is nicely balanced, so just when you think you’ve cracked it and can wizz through the levels, a real doozy comes along that takes a bit of planning. But, if you do get stuck on a level you can just skip ahead. Problem solved.

Summary:

A great little game, especially for killing the time whilst travelling. It also gives your grey matter a good workout too. Colourful, musical and fun.

Kahoots is available now on iPhone/iPod for £0.59p and iPad HD for £1.79p.