Bubble Witch Saga review

Facebook's popular puzzle matching game, Bubble Witch Saga, arrived on iOS devices a little over a week ago, so I apologize if this review comes a little late. What can I say, it was that addicting. I just couldn't put it down.

Having amassed over 40 million players on Facebook, you really don't need me to tell you how fun Bubble Witch Saga is. The sheer number speaks for itself. But how does the Facebook game translate to iOS devices?

To put it simply, quite nicely. Gameplay wise, Bubble Witch Saga is fairly similar to its Facebook counterpart. The concept of the game has you match at least three of the same colored orbs to make them disappear or fall into cauldrons worth points. As with most games like this, your aim is to match the colors closest to the top so the orbs below can fall without having to waste a shot. The simple mechanic of matching same colored orbs to another lends itself perfectly to iOS devices.

When the orbs drop, they will bounce off of spiders (think Plinko) and into cauldrons at the bottom of the screen.  The orbs will fall into these cauldrons, which are worth points, to earn you a final score.

Don't let Bubble Witch Saga fool you; for a simplistic looking game, it can get quite tricky. Because of the limited amount of bubbles you get, you must not only perfectly place each shot, but work out a strategy prior to the shot. What move will get you the most points for your shot? What shot will clear the most orbs? Those are the type of questions you must ask yourself before firing.

There are a nice amount of power-up items, unlocked by gold earned in the levels, to help you through those more difficult puzzles. For those less patient, there are also in-game purchase options available through microtransactions.

For replay value, Bubble Witch Saga offers leaderboards to compare your score with friends, making you strive to replay each level to earn your very best score. And with more than 150 levels, you'll have plenty to play through.

Of course, the leaderboards may just be my competitive spirit. For many, this game will also serve as a casual title useful for when on a toilet, but then isn't that the purpose of most mobile games? And that's not necessarily a bad thing; in fact, Bubble Witch Saga kept me quite entertained when unleashing the dogs of war.

Overall, Bubble Witch Saga is a fine play on the iOS. It's nothing new or mind blowing, but it is a nice blend of simplistic, yet addicting gameplay that will keep you engaged for hours. It's one of those 'easy to learn, but difficult to master' type of games. I often found myself just laying in bed before sleep cursing myself, repeating, "Just one more level." Regardless of skill level, Bubble Witch Saga is an addicting game that will keep your attention for hours on end.

Follow Matt Liebl on Twitter @Matt_GZ