Frozen Free Fall Test: Frosty Mobile Fun with Disney Characters

11/09/2014 02:00 am by Anna Radak in Tests, Puzzle, Match-3

Now that the year is slowly coming to an end, it’s time to look back and reminisce a little bit. What has happened in 2014? What franchise rose to fame and glory above all? That’s right: Frozen. Disney’s latest animation movie warmed the hearts of both young and old audiences and gave us a catchy tune to sing along to. Over and over again. With Let it Go etched eternally into our brains, we decided to check out how Frozen was incorporated in the video gaming world and see what Frozen Free Fall, months after its initial release, had to offer us. Could the free puzzle app captivate wary gamers like us? Find out in our review!

Easy Breezy Casual Gaming

Before we begin dissecting Frozen Free Fall into its individual components, let us get something out of the way: As a number-crunching roleplaying fan, our editor Anna has always been somewhat reluctant to dive into the casual mobile scene. But after downloading the app on our office iPad, there was no stopping her. We dove into the first couple of levels right away, learning the ropes of the classic puzzle mechanics. The concept is pretty easy: In order to complete all challenges that lie ahead, we have to connect three or more crystals of the same nature and reach certain objectives. What sounds easy breezy in theory does, in fact, get pretty complicated after a few levels.

Special power-ups (see a full list here) are available through companions and help us out in times of trouble. While we love having Anna, Elsa or Olaf to lend a helping hand, these abilities are few and far between if we’re following the free-to-play approach. It’s definitely tempting to pump money into the gaming app for certain levels, but don’t worry about Frozen Free Fall being pay-to-win. Any and all levels can be completed by just using your wits alone, even though that may take a few tries.

Play Frozen Whenever, Wherever

We are given a certain amount of moves for each level in which we have to shatter crystals, unfreeze ice blocks or make special objects disappear. Time-limited challenges also make an appearance in Frozen Free Fall, but not very often. That means that most of the time, we don’t have to worry about hurrying through the task at hand and can take our time. This comes in handy when playing on the go or at work (shh!), as we can always just press pause and resume whenever there's time to continue our journey. Hitting snazzy combos that will literally blow up the whole screen and destroy almost every crystal in sight is what turns Frozen Free Fall into a satisfying gaming experience. Want to know more about Windchills and Glaciers? Check out our guide to charms right here!

Frozen Free Fall

Each botched try will cost us a life, a precious resource that will automatically regenerate every half hour. It's a bit frustrating to not be able to continue playing once our life count hits zero, but at least that's a good reason for us to put down our iPad for a little while and take a break. We know that whenever we next log into Frozen Free Fall, there'll be up to five lives waiting for us. From animated characters cheering us on from the top of the screen to a series of levels that roughly retell the plot of the movie: This mobile game certainly offers several features that will satisfy Frozen enthusiasts.

Currently, more than 300 levels await us in Frozen Free Fall which take hours to get through. The game does get a bit repetitive at times, but there's only so much you can do in a Match-3 puzzle app, y'know? In all of our time playing, we never actually felt the need to purchase anything in the official shop. We can definitely see how one would be tempted to do so, however, as completing certain objectives can be a real pain. The upside is that each try starts us off with a unique array of crystals, so there's definitely a motivation to keep going and finish every step of the way with the best possible rating, namely three golden stars.

Speaking of ratings: We decided to give the free-to-play app four stars. Why not the full five? Because Frozen Free Fall doesn't really make an effort to innovate the genre. The game does convince with pretty graphics and fun gameplay mechanics, though. Add in a soothing soundtrack and great sound effects and we're happy! The fact that Disney keeps on adding new content (see the Summer Update) even though the game has been out for a while is also a nice touch.

Frozen Free Fall Rating

Pro
Appealing Graphics
Easy to Learn
Truly Free-to-Play
Regular Updates

Contra
Nothing New
Hard to Master
Frustrating Levels
Bit Repetitive

4/5 Stars

Our Frozen Free Fall Verdict

Frozen Free Fall is a fun little gaming app that will not only keep Disney fans occupied for hours, but also offer puzzle maniacs a variety of tricky challenges and levels to play through. The flashy animations and pretty ice crystals are definitely a plus and make the free-to-play title fun to look at. In our adventures with Elsa and the Frozen crew, we never encountered any pay-to-win roadblocks, as any level could be beat with just the right amount of determination, patience and, most importantly, luck. If you're tired of the franchise and more interested in the villainy side of life, we suggest giving Maleficent Free Fall a try. It's basically the same game, just set in a different Disney universe. Or take a gander at Big Hero 6 Bot Fight, another puzzle game waiting to be beat by you.