Scuba Dupa Review
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Scuba Dupa Review

Our Review by Rob Thomas on September 12th, 2014
Rating: starstarstarblankstarblankstar :: BUBBLE TROUBLE
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Scuba Dupa is cute and simple fun, but you're going to have to part with a bit too much sunken treasure to make it worthwhile, unfortunately.

Developer: EightPixelsSquare
Price: FREE
Version Reviewed: 1.040
App Reviewed on: iPad 2

Graphics / Sound Rating: starstarstarhalfstarblankstar
Gameplay Rating: starstarstarblankstarblankstar
Playtime Rating: starstarstarblankstarblankstar
Replay Value Rating: starstarhalfstarblankstarblankstar

Overall Rating: starstarstarblankstarblankstar

If Jacques Cousteau has taught us anything, it’s that the ocean is very deep and full of strange and interesting things. Like lots of sunken planes and enough green pipes to make a certain Italian plumber very jealous, if Scuba Dupa is to be believed.

Scuba Dupa - on top of having one of the best names out there - presents a rather simple take on oceanographic exploration by turning the endless runner into an endless diver. Using tilt controls (which can be switched to manual screen taps, though I highly advise against it) players maneuver their little diving-helmeted explorer guy down into the dark depths. The gameplay is simple (as most endless whatevers tend to be) in that the only real rule is to not bump the sides of the stage or any moving hazards. Oh, and try to pick up some pearls along the way.

Pearls serve double duty as currency and score. They can be cashed in at the store for cosmetic upgrades like new costumes (more on that below) or for temporary boosts like shrinking the diver (thus making the pathway wider for him) or giving him a one-hit layer of armor so a single bump doesn’t end his dive.

There’s not a lot of depth (ha!) to be found in Scuba Dupa, but it floats along pretty well on its crisp, bright visuals. The accordion-driven music is also appropriately upbeat and nautical feeling, though it would have been nice to perhaps see it shift to something more ominous the deeper the diver progresses. The tilt controls actually work quite well, allowing for varying degrees of speed in movement that the touch controls don’t. I tried both and found touch to be sorely lacking in precision and intuitiveness. I’m sure more time with it could maybe have helped, but the curve is much steeper than it is for the tilt, which feels effortless.

While it would be easy to dismiss Scuba Dupa as just a simple, bright amusement at its stated price point of “free,” when one goes to cash-in some of those hard-earned pearls for a spiffy new diving suit they suddenly suffer a bad case of the paywall bends. You see, you can’t actually spend those pearls on big purchases unless you drop three bucks on the “premium” game. Premium, in this case, means no ads (which is good, as they get ridiculously thick and obtrusive, marring an otherwise clean experience), but it offers nothing else besides the ability to spend your pearls.

Suddenly Scuba Dupa becomes a rather underwhelming game based on what they’re asking for it. It’s a shame, and a pretty big kink in the air hose of an otherwise fun time.

iPhone Screenshots

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iPad Screenshots

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Scuba Dupa screenshot 6 Scuba Dupa screenshot 7 Scuba Dupa screenshot 8 Scuba Dupa screenshot 9 Scuba Dupa screenshot 10
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