I Love Strawberries follows the adventures of a small square creature, appropriately named Box Boy, as he attempts to gather any and all strawberries he can get his hands on.
Sure, it’s not exactly War & Peace, but the story is hardly important in a platform jumper like I Love Strawberries. What really matters is whether the game is worth playing or not. Thanks to some downright tricky levels and a keen sense of humor, this is definitely an app worth taking for a spin.
The levels in I Love Strawberries are split, like many platform-centric games, into numerous segments that build on the skills you acquire as you continue playing. Although Box Boy doesn’t get the use of any power-ups, it’ll take players some time before they’ve mastered the art of making a box jump where they want it to.
Box Boy can only jump on a straight path, so diagonal jumps are essential, but just as important is knowing how much power to put into each jump. Too little. and you won’t reach the next platform, but too much, and you’ll overshoot it and be back where you started. I Love Strawberries doesn’t hold the player’s hand very much, for better or for worse.
The game does provide a neat way for players to judge how they’re doing, though. Upon completion, each level is scored with a mix of golf scoring and arcade point totals. Players receive more points for grabbing more of the strawberries, and also for jumping under the “par” number that each level sets for the number of jumps needed to complete the course.
It’s an inventive way to reward strong play, and the replay value it creates as players try to improve their bronze medal scores to silver or gold is nice to see.
If you’re in the mood for a well-executed, but challenging, puzzle game, I Love Strawberries should fill the bill more than adequately. Just don’t be surprised if you find yourself loving strawberries a little less, thanks to this tricky title.
