A mischievous gorilla named Uggi has stolen PoPo’s precious popsicles. To help PoPo recover his ice cream, you’ve got to roll the chubby round panda left and right, mustering the appropriate level of momentum to maneuver past various obstacles and get to the rotating hole through which Uggi has disappeared. Roll in the Hole by Chillingo starts off simple, but as you get deeper into the cute adventure, challenges abound.

Review
Roll in the Hole HD is a physics-based puzzler for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. The objective is to collect as many popsicles as you can, up to a maximum of three for each level, and propel the panda into the hole or portal. Various objects in the environment can either aid or hinder you. Should the panda fly off the screen instead of landing on something or into the hole, you’ll have to repeat the level all over again. What this means is you have to manage the panda’s speed. Rolling too slowly won’t get PoPo up a steep incline, while rolling too fast could launch him into thin air. In addition, you’ll want to complete the level as quickly as possible to get a bigger time bonus upon completion. One thing you should note is that PoPo not only looks like a ball but can also bounce like a ball.

The controls are perfect for the game, allowing fine precision in movement. To roll PoPo left (anticlockwise), you’ll tap on the left half of the screen, and to get him moving in the other direction, you tap right. I’m glad the developers didn’t opt for tilt control. Roll in the Hole offers 72 levels spread across three worlds. Beginning in a green grassy valley, PoPo will chase the gorilla Uggi across icy lands and all the way into space. Each environment comes with its own set of challenges.

In the valley, sand will slow down PoPo’s rolling, while on ice PoPo will slide like crazy. Aside from platforms of various lengths and inclines that PoPo will need to roll along, other objects he will encounter include moving, swinging, and rotating platforms, balloon trampolines that can both help him in jumping as well as throw him off course, dangerous spikes, aliens, and UFOs. The most challenging of these are the trampolines and aliens. The first variety of alien will pop his head out of the ground and shoot PoPo with a powerful air bubble, which can push him off into space, while the UFO can beam him up.

Roll in the Hole HD is a high quality physics-based puzzle platformer with beautiful but simple graphics. For those who are bent on grabbing all three popsicles in each level, the game will certainly deliver lots of challenge, especially in the third world. On the whole, I don’t think the game is too difficult, as long as you’re willing to try and try again; how much you achieve will mostly depend on your timing and the finesse of your left-right-left thumb actions.

Recommendation
Roll in the Hole HD, a universal app for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad, is currently available in the App Store for $2.99. Those who do not own an iPad, and are certain they never will, can save some money by getting the iPhone-only version for just $0.99. This physics-based puzzler is charming and well executed, and is highly recommended if you’re into similar games.

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Note: A promotional code was provided by the creator for use in this article.

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