Lab Bunnies’ Review – Hopping Mad

‘Lab Bunnies’ Review – Hopping Mad
Angry Birds will be remembered as a game that frustrates by making certain solutions seem so easy, yet solving them can be anything but.

will be remembered as a game that frustrates by making certain solutions seem so easy, yet solving them can be anything but. The Skejo Studios title Lab Bunnies is a puzzle game that follows in the footsteps of Rovio’s creation in subtle (and not so subtle) ways, whilst attempting to provide a unique experience that it just about pulls off.

The aim of Lab Bunnies is all about guiding the little dudes up and out of trap filled areas. As the name suggests, they are a part of a dastardly experiment by … uh … a group of sheep scientists (or something like that), who force the bunnies to hop around said puzzles. Certainly seems original, in a weird sheep scientist kind of way.

The first thing I thought of when as the earlier level loaded was how familiar the entire experience felt. The menu system and designs, whilst not a complete copy of Angry Birds , certainly references that game heavily. Icons seems familiar, as does the level select menu and the three ‘star’ style ranking system. Thankfully the rest of the game goes its own way outside of that, but it’s a little sad to think that such a great idea had to rely on someone else’s designs instead of trying to do their own thing.

That aside, the gameplay is the most important aspect to the game and it does hold up rather well despite some niggling control issues. To guide your bunny you’ll have to hop up and over platforms towards the goal. Some obstacles will block your path and as the game goes on it throws a bunch more different types of problems, like moving platforms or those that cause you to fall down.

To hop, all you need do is tap anywhere on the screen. Hold down and move left and right and the bunny will follow, or swipe up to the left or right will have them hop in that direction. It’s a simple enough design, though there are times where certain inputs don’t react accordingly. Trying to gently move your character to the edge of a platform to get the best angle for a jump was a little awkward, and you’ll miss a platform more than once. Thankfully there’s an alternate control scheme that adds a left and right button to the left side of the screen. In all honesty this is the best way to play, as your accuracy and timing will improve.

A few levels in and you’ll begin to control more than one bunny at a time, of different colours and not always in the same places, with matching coloured carrots to collect. Moving in any direction controls all of them at the same time, which means you’ll need to be wary of where they all are compared to where the platforms and hazards are. If you’re aiming for a high score, this ramps up the challenge, but completing each level isn’t all that difficult if you skip past the carrots on offer.

In terms of how the game looks, everything is where it should be. I’ve already touched on the familiarity of the menu system which brings it down a peg in my eyes. In all honesty, there’s nothing here that’s a plus nor a minus visually. It all works without any slowdown or glitches but nothing stands out, it’s all very simple in its presentation.

One thing I do have to knock, though, is the music. You’ll quickly turn your sound down you realise how monotonous and repetitive it becomes.

Lab Bunnies won’t set the world alight, but for an alternative to the puzzle adventures of birds flying towards pigs, it’s a solid title with plenty of levels to hop through … yeah, I went there. I still feel as if the studio could have done more in areas to make Lab Bunnies stand out, but I can’t fault them for the meat of its gameplay.

[review pros=”Solid puzzle mechanics, plenty of levels will keep you going for a long while” cons=”menu system is far too familiar, visually simplistic, music and sound effects are forgetful” score=73]