AbleGamers' Web Game of the Week: Zuma Blitz on FaceBook

Just when you thought Facebook couldn’t get another addicting game, you thought wrong. One of my favorites Popcap Games, Zuma Blitz, has been released for Facebook.

This version condenses the gameplay into one minute segments that are very fast-paced with a system that allows the player to level up quickly while not being repetitive and boring. The ironic thing about playing this game is that you can play for 5 minutes or you can become so engrossed in the game that you do not even realize that you have been playing for 2 or 3 hours. Zuma Blitz is kid-friendly, does not spam you to death and best of all there is no need to purchase anything.

Many of our loyal Ablegamers readers know that I am a huge fan of the casual games and especially casual games on Facebook. But this game is way better than most Facebook games out there because there is none of the usual problems Facebook applications and games face such as launch lag, instability, lost progress or missing features.

Now onto gameplay, as far as controls, players use only the mouse to shoot colored balls at groups of other colored balls with the same pinpoint accuracy as the downloadable Zuma. Match three or more and you’re rewarded with points.

There are several variations in the Facebook version. The most glaring is the fact that there’s only a single map to play – a two-chain serpentine which can sometimes be predicable. Second, you have only one minute to rack up points. All of the usual scoring rules apply. This is quite an incentive to keep playing Zuma Blitz as you earn more mojo and experience every time you log in to the application and play which translates to the ability to get new power-ups that help you progress faster. You receive power-ups randomly or you can buy them with Mojo. There are also idols, but you have to use real money to earn those and this enables you to bypass levels completely or unlock new and exciting power-ups early.

The other interesting variation is the concept of “lives,” you can only play a certain number of times before you run out of lives.  In the early game this isn’t a big hindrance, because you get a life refill when you level up, which happens every few games for the first half-dozen or so levels. Later on, however, it could be a strong incentive to cough up some cash.

Enough about the gameplay, let’s talk about the experience and its accessibility. The music is tribal and makes you feel like you are on an episode of survivor about to get voted off at tribal council. The menus for navigation are written on a wood type background, which makes it difficult for people who have low vision. But the game itself is nicely subtitled. The real issue is in the gameplay. This game even has a color blind mode, just click the “gear” and check the box!

With all that said, this is actually a Facebook game that translates well, is somewhat accessible and most of all, fun. Zuma Blitz is a quick brain break or something you could play for hours on end.