About two weeks ago, I woke up with an idea for a fun iPhone application that would pit you against one of the world’s most disgusting and highly adaptable creatures, the cockroach. I thought it would be a great idea to have bugs running across the screen so you could simply smoosh them with your fingers! So I checked out the App Store to see if there was anything out there like it. Lo and behold, I came across iRoach.
iRoach for the iPhone and iPod Touch is an absolute gem. I will warn you now: It is an incredibly addicting game, with local and online leaderboards. The object is simple; squish as many bugs as you possibly can within the two minute time limit. There are different-sized cockroaches, which each take anywhere from one to three hits to squish, as well as spiders, flies and ladybugs. Each bug has a different point value. However, the ladybug will take points away should you smash it, so be extra careful. There are also bug spray canisters that pop up periodically as you play. Tapping one of them will give your score a huge boost, so try to hit them as soon as they pop, because they won’t stay onscreen for long.
The graphics in iRoach are really amazing. I was blown away by how realistic the bugs look — and how completely revolting when oozing with goo after they are smashed. My wife absolutely hates to crush the “big” Madagascar cockroaches that take three hits because of the realism.
The sound effects are equally fun and gross. Tapping the screen and hearing the crunch of the bugs is somehow delightful in a mean gross-you-out kind of way. Crush a ladybug, and you will feel like you did the worst thing possible. Yet, when your fingertip smashes the life out of a virtual cockroach and its gooey sounds escape from beneath its crunchy carapace, well, you can’t help but smile.
The gameplay in iRoach is addictive, fun and makes you want to play again and again. One thing I would love to see is a combo multiplier for those kills that happen in rapid succession, but I think that comes from my desire to break 1,000 points consecutively. I thoroughly enjoy iRoach, and it is well worth the money. I promise you will have a lot of fun tapping your way into a frenzy over this one.
