Created by a studio called, of all things, Taco Graveyard, Penumbear combines light-based puzzles and a platform adventure game into a very good-looking mobile experience. Playing as the aforementioned bear, you find yourself awakened by a color-changing firefly who leads you out of the dark castle where you dwell. Getting from dank cellar to sunny field is going to be quite a feat, though, but luckily you have a very special ability involving lights!
Control Penumbear with the on-screen arrows and jump with the big circle on the right. Surrounding the jump button are four smaller circles that light up when you're near a light source. Tapping an active circle sends your firefly companion out to toggle the light source near that circle. Penumbear treats the line where light meets dark as a solid entity, meaning you can walk across great gaps simply by flipping a light switch!
Throughout Penumbear's journey you'll encounter locked doors, crawling enemies, dangerous tendril spike things, and bonus bears you can collect. It's all set in a wonderfully charming world perfectly suitable for an animated stuff bear to walk around in. The concept of light as a solid part of the game is intriguing, and it takes a bit of time to get used to. But with over 100 levels to explore and plenty of great puzzles to solve, Penumbear is one adventure you'll be eager to challenge yourself with.
NOTE: This game was played and reviewed on the iPad 3. Game was available in the North American market at the time of publication, but may not be available in other territories. Please see individual app market pages for purchasing info.
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