Zoos are created to nurture wild animals and showcase them to humans with a good-natured purpose: knowledge. The creatures there are being taken care of and as much as possible, zoo keepers are making them feel like they’ve never left the wild. For those which are born and raised there, the vast jungle and their natural instincts might be altered but for those which came from the “outside” will eventually get homesick and find a way to escape. Yearly, there are cases of animals figuring out a way to jump over the barricades of their man-made homes, some end up the way everybody planned that is to get it back to the zoo while some are too much to grasp forcing authorities to take down an animal. Sad as it may seem since the animals are only acting on their survival whims, but so are the humans. Good thing that this next application I’ll be telling you about doesn’t involve killing any kind of animal. Heck, it kinda seems like you’re even helping them wild creatures totally escape! Guide the cutiepatootie Lion as he bounces up and down to his freedom in this fun and engaging application called Animals. Read on for more of this Android and iOS app review after the cut.

Getting tired of sliding and running with the endless runner games you’ve been addicted to? Then why not try it vertically by giving Animals a go? Although there’s no way but up in this application, I can’t help but correlate it to a game I played when I was a little kid. The one where there’s a ball bouncing on a screen while your task is to catch the ball with the moving plate on the bottom of the screen. As what it is with trends, they’re repeating but with a modern twist.

Magma Mobile which has developed a number of sought-after free apps in the market has created Animals, a jump and catch game for Android and iOS devices. Players are expected to catch the lion as it bounces up and down until it reaches the top. Power ups and obstacles are there to give the game its much-needed challenge while there are achievements and gifts to unlock. With cartoon-y graphics and a wide array of characters that can be bought, Animals is a game to while away time.

Mayday! Mayday! Animals are escaping!

The story goes to show that a bunch of huge creatures have escaped the zoo. They’re believed to be finding out a way out of the hussle and bussle of civilization to get to their original dwelling. Along their adventure, different circumstances are trying to sabotage their plans so the goal here is to get ‘em animals to safety before metal cages, asteroids, and the lack of a “catcher” get the best of them. The task is pretty easy, just make sure that the plank is under the lion so that it will not fall to its demise.

By touching the screen, it will instantly catapult the default character which is a lion upwards. There are coins, fruits, and power ups that are available for grabs but they’re not that easy to get. Players will have to master how to control the direction in which the character’s jump goes to. Actually, there’s a trick here. By making the character bounce off of the right tip of the plank, then it will go the right. The same thing goes on the left side of the plank. Letting the character bounce on the middle part of it propels it straight upward. Well, that’s just about it. It makes the game easier to handle but it doesn’t guarantee the achievement of three out of three stars in a level.

There are two game modes: Challenge and the Safari. In the first mode, there will be different levels and worlds while the second mode correspond to an endless game. To open the Safari, players should first finish a world in the challenge mode which is fine by me because it can also act as some form of practice. As of now, I still haven’t tried the Safari because I’m still a noob. The gist of that mode is to outshine your previous score.

Coins, fruits, and power ups are available along the way as well as obstacles such as cages, asteroids, and autumn winds among others. Some of them will only be activated if your character happened to nudge the icon. The asteroids, however, appears out of nowhere. Good thing there’s an indicator that something malicious is coming so be wary of the game. An asteroid will blow up the wooden plank that catches your character. Make sure your out of its way. Oh before I forget, there’s a meter on the left side of the screen indicating where you are and how far is it until you reach the end of that level.

As part of the quirky perks of the game, there are other lions that are pending movement. The moment your character touches them, they’ll be in a mutual bounce galore and it’s up to you which one of them will you catch. Their purpose is to help you accumulate more coins and food since there are an abundance of them in which a single character can’t gather all of them. There’s also a power-up wherein there are other cute animals that will cross the screen horizontally for a few seconds helping you get more additional coins and fruits. Aside from those, there’s this camera icon wherein a tourist take a photo of your character. Nothing more, nothing less. It won’t even be saved on your photo roll. Weird. Can’t understand if it’s a good thing or it’s a form of distraction.

Music and Design

I’m giving Animal’s sound scoring a five out of five because it’s very compelling, upbeat, and appropriate. When I first heard the app through my device’s speakers, I immediately heard something more so I opted to play it with my earphones on. I don’t regret anything! The music is indeed better if you play it on your earphones because you’ll hear the lively bass and it does play an important factor in the over-all game experience. There are some occasional oh’s because you’ll definitely get your head wrapped up in the game with the help of the game’s music. Graphics-wise, it was impeccable. The colors were not harsh to the eyes but it still gives off the aura that it’s an app that can be enjoyed not just by young adults but children as well.

I loved the fact that the characters emotions change depending on what’s happening. How pitiful they look when they’re inside the cage and how cute they are when they’re trying to roar.

Harrie Gives Them Freedom

Animals is very well-thought of application that’s very addictive. I’ve been playing it for more than hour but I can’t still get enough. Whenever I end up with less than the possible three stars, I can’t help but retry the level. It is an application perfect for any age. It is simple, fun, and has the right amount of challenge. Through the collected coins, other items can be bought in the store including a bad-ass plank and other animals to use.

All in all, Animals is an engaging app perfect for every individual. It can take you out of the misery that is boredom and if you’re just looking for a casual game to while your time away, then the Safari Mode is the right fit! You can download it for FREE in the and .