As with all my WP7 reviews, this review is based on the game as a mobile game, and not compared to full-fledged console titles.
Monster Island. It's short. There are no glitched achievements, and there is an entire website dedicated to this game making solutions a 2 minute deal if you ever get stuck, which quite frankly isn't all that likely to happen anyway. I would advise you purchase it on the Deal of the Week, as I don't feel it to be worth the full price they want for it given the shortness of the game and the lack of replayability.
What else needs to be said? That is probably why you came here, although the ratio for the game should give you everything you wanted to know about the difficulty.
However, just in case you came here looking for an actual review, I suppose I can help you out there as well.
I think the best comparison I can make for Monster Island is that it's very similar to
iBlast Moki (WP). The main difference is that instead of creating structures to get from point a to point b, you're destroying them. It could also be billed as an easier version of
Angry Birds (WP).
The controls for this game can be a little iffy. There were numerous times where I would be trying to adjust my throwing angle or strength, and I would throw the bomb before I finished. I found that it was possible to correct this by holding one finger on the screen (anywhere) while taking my second finger and repositioning it. Either way, even if you do accidentally chuck a bomb it won't set you back more than 15 seconds. That's about how long each level takes to either pass or fail.
The audio for the game is pretty standard mobile sounds. Forgettable music, annoying sound effects. Best to play the game on mute unless you're trying to annoy everyone in a 10 foot radius, including yourself. Three or four different musical choices, and the same 5 sounds reused ad-nauseam for every action. Each bomb has a sound for when it hits a wall, and then another sound for when you blow up the bad guys. That's about it.
The graphics are what you would expect from a mobile game of the Angry Bird genre. What genre would that be? I don't know. Anyway, you have your choice of skins which you can purchase using coins you can either earn by completing levels or buy using MSP. I would advise spending your coins wisely as there are several achievements which require their use. It is entirely possible to complete this game without spending any money (I did it.) so keep that in mind.
In the end, there's not much that makes this game stand out. I went from start to complete in less than a week of only playing it a few minutes here or there, in waiting rooms or while watching Family Guy. There is one spot in World 3 where a piece is invisible but that is only a minor inconvenience and it's still possible to 3 star the level. The sound is nothing new, the graphics are unique but not very impressive, and the controls are acceptable but not terrific.
Overall, if you are looking for nothing more than 200G and you have a Windows Phone, expect to be able to complete this in less than 10 hours of playing. That's a very generous estimate. If you're looking for something to keep you engaged and with lots of replay value, look elsewhere. If you aren't sure you will like this or not, go to
http://www.monsterislandhelp.com and look up some of the gameplay videos (which is also where you will find all your solutions...)
Overview:
Visual: 3/5
Unique art but very repetitive.
Controls: 3/5
They get the job done adequately but some improvement could be made.
Sound: 2/5
Similar to most mobile games, it will annoy the piss out of you after about 5 minutes. Best to play on mute.
Achievements: 5/5
Quick and easy.
Fun Factor & Replay: 3/5
Fun while it lasts, but very little replay value unless you enjoy playing the same levels over and over even after you've earned all the achievements. More levels may be added in the future, for a price I am sure.
3.0