If there’s one thing that WackaMonsta‘s (iPhone) is doing right, it would be the gameplay. A cross between Bubble Bobble, Arkanoid and playing Tetris upside down, the game will have players launch bubbles of various colours to a constantly falling bunch of bubbles.


Like coloured bubbles will cancel out one another and cause some interesting chain reaction, whereas launching a different coloured bubble to a bubble of different colour will just cause it to get stucked with the falling mass of bubbles. The graphics complement the game well and so do the controls which I do not have an issue with.

Now, the sticky point here is that the game is free. As a result, developer DanLabs Games have to implement some other measures to earn moolah. I don’t blame them, iOS developers have to make a living too you know, but it’s the matter of what is being implemented in the app.

There’s the in-app purchase to buy more of the in-game currency, Wacka Coins, earned by playing the game. These coins are used to unlock additional features in-game like accessories for your admittedly cute little Monsta. I’m not really worried about this even though there’s a case of a kid blowing up the mom’s credit card with in-app purchases on Smurf’s Village (here’s a pro-tip, don’t let your children know your iTunes password).

The game also features ads.ย  As I understand it, the game is marketed to both kids and adults alike, but there’s no control over what kind of ads that show up in-game right at the top of the screen. For the past 5 minutes, I’ve seen ads for sexy, gratuitous photos of women, not something that I want to have kids to view or click on.

So, to the developers. You’ve got a great game in WackaMonsta, so slap on a price tag of USD 0.99 (even if you loath to charge, choose the lowest price point), lose the ads and keep your in-app purchase options. Parents, you might want to keep an eye out on your children when they are playing free, ad-supported games.

Nine Over Ten 9/10 rates WackaMonsta a 3 out of 5 with the ads taking the ratings down a notch, despite gameplay excellence. Parents: Caveat Emptor.

WackaMonsta is available free-of-charge on the iTunes App Store. Check it out over here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wackamonsta/id412115283?mt=8