Chubby Buddy: basic mechanics

Hi all!

As I mentioned in my last post, Chubby Buddy is finally a reality that you can find in the App Store. Also, if you're unsure about buying the game (it costs 0,89€ or 0,99$), you can also try the free version, which includes fewer and not so challenging levels, but which can give you an overall idea about the basic game mechanics. 

In this post I will discuss these basic mechanics that you first encounter when playing the free version of the game. I'll lay aside more advanced mechanics that are included in the paid version, and which I'll discuss in future posts. 

Figure 1 shows a sample level of the free version of the game. In the first levels there are only three types of elements in the game: the chubby kid (i.e. our chubby buddy), the cakes, and the fruit. The goal is to place the kid at the same position where the fruit is in at most the number of movements indicated in the top-right corner of the screen. You can move any of the elements, except for the fruit, which will remain in the same place all along the level. 

Figure 1. A sample level

The following rules apply to all the elements except for the fruit. So in this case, when I refer to 'element', I actually mean either the 'kid' or a 'cake':

(1) You can only move the element one position to the right or one position to the left.

(2) If there is one element on your right, and you move to the right, you will end up above the element; likewise, if there is one element on your left and you move to the left, you will end up above the element. 

(3) Probably the most important rule to remember (specially in the most advanced levels of the paid version): you CANNOT move if there is an element on top of you. 

(4) If there is more than one element on your right (e.g. two cakes, one on top of the other), you cannot move to the right; similarly, i there is more than one element on your left, you cannot move to the left. 

Each movement will decrease the movement counter (in the top-right corner of the screen) by one. 

Introducing the grandma

Figure 2 shows the last element that appears in the free version of the game: the grandma. Grandma is  subject to the aforementioned movement rules. The only difference is this: when the kid is right next to the grandma (i.e. when the kid is on the right of, left of, on top of, or under the grandma), the movement counter decreases by 3 for each movement.

Figure 2. Be aware of the grandmas!

This is it for now! If you have an iPhone or iPad, give it a try!

See you buddies!
FM