Critter Crunch is a stellar PSN puzzle game with enchanting music and graphics.  I dare anyone to find as highly polished and addictive game at the $6.99 price point.  Cabybara games has made Critter Crunch impossible not to recommend.

Critter Crunch is an interesting twist on match-3 and similar puzzle games.  It’s a much more polished version of Capybara’s 2007 iPhone game of the same name.  It may appear cutesy and seem to rely on simple color matching, but the game is much deeper.  Critter Crunch is a humorous tale of Biggs and the strange ecological system that he lives in.  Biggs eats crystals and barfs rainbows (literally), but all of this is really a humorous spin on the innovative “food chain” gameplay found at the core of Critter Crunch.

The player controls the rotund Biggs with the D-pad or Left Stick and uses his long tongue (the X button) to move critters around on the vines above.  Just like nature, larger critters eat smaller ones.  If a critter is overfed, it explodes into a crystal which Biggs can eat. There is a humorous national geographic type documentary that tries to explain the ecosystem of the game.  This goofy narrative actually gives the game more charm.  You see on the island of Krunchatoa, Biggs is at the top of the food chain.  Creatures hang on vines above him and he overfeeds them and darts to collect the crystals and powerups critters drop.  These tasty crystals fill Biggs hunger bar.  The goal is to fill this hunger bar before the creatures mosey their way down the vines to Biggs.

The gameplay has all the elements that make a great puzzle game.  The game is simple to pick up and play but has a ton of smaller features and slight variations that keep things interesting and provide a great deal of depth.  The game centers on the food chain mechanic, but there are also color matching elements which help you setup big chain reactions and combos.  The adventure mode does an excellent job of introducing new gameplay wrinkles such as “Power Foods” and Poisoned Critters.  Power foods include things like watermelons that let Biggs spit seeds to destroy critters above or Garlic which allows him to repel critters back up their vines.

The graphics of Critter Crunch are stunning.  The hand-drawn 2D graphics are bright, colorful and have excellent animations.  Everything pops really well off of the soft muted watercolor backgrounds. With the game’s excellent and anime-inspired character design, watching Critter Crunch has as much appeal as an episode of Pokemon (ok, let’s be honest… more appeal).  In a Cute & Cuddly Pageant, Biggs could even steal Pikachu’s crown.

The visuals are coupled with great music and sound effects, but the big shocker of the whole package is the price.  At only $6.99, Critter Crunch is an absolute steal.  With the stellar graphics, core gameplay, and features, Capybara games could easily justify a $15-$20 price tag. The game’s adventure mode is littered with optional challenge and puzzle stages, not to mention the multiplayer offerings. Critter Crunch will give any puzzle fan hours upon hours to enjoy with Biggs and company.  All of these features add up to make Critter Crunch one of the best values on PSN.