The advent of the smart phone brought with it the age of the cutesy puzzle game. Whether it be a candy loving monster or birds that are particularly angry, there has never been a shortage of games to keep you tied to your phone, working to achieve the maximum number of stars per level. Fjong is a game in this same vein and is available on Steam for your PC.
Fjong, developed by Varagtp, has you playing up to three whale/bird creatures that dream of flying but are unable to without the help of magical candy. The goal of each level is straightforward, utilize up to three of these creatures to reach the magical candy and fly away from each level.
While not entirely original, the level designs are challenging, and reaching three stars per level is particularly difficult. The game itself though is only 20 levels and can be completed in less than 30 minutes if you aren’t concerned with maxing out the stars per level. If you are a willing to take the time to max out each level, you are not only rewarded with satisfaction but it also unlocks a secret game, which adds another character and additional challenges to each level.
This is the major problem I have with Fjong, and puzzle games like it in general. The expectation, or draw to a game such as this, is that the player will be motivated enough to attempt to get the maximum number of stars for each level. Certainly, there are people out there whose drive is to max out the score on every level they play, sadly I’m just not one of them On a smart phone it makes more sense, particularly if you are stuck at the airport or waiting at the dentist office, on the PC maybe not so much.
Fjong is a beautiful game, it’s colorful and cheerful. The characters are cute, the music is jazzy and relaxing. Adding additional challenges and difficultly for those willing to take the time to max out each level certainly helps to justify the $1.99 price tag. Whether all of this is enough to justify the game for you however is something you’ll need to consider. It’s a fun, but short-lived game.
What I liked : Colorful Characters, Jazzy Music
What I liked less : Too short (even with the incentive of the secret game if completed perfectly)
3 out of 5 stars
