iPhone App Review: Chop Sushi

June 11, 2009 by Jason Kaneshiro

Chop Sushi (iTunes link) is puzzle game where matching three or more identical sushi pieces removes them from the board, and takes you closer to the goal of beating your opponent.

iphone game chop sushi gameplay

The Good

Gameplay is an interesting variation on Bejeweled: Instead of swapping adjacent pieces, you pick a piece up and move it to the end of the board, sliding the other pieces in its row or column toward the empty space. Any matches are removed from the board. The sliding is accomplished by first tapping the piece you want to move, then swiping in the direction you want to move it. The technique took a little while to figure out, but once mastered, the gameplay requires little else.
Moving one piece to the end of a row means you’re moving many pieces at once, meaning many possible moves aren’t immediately apparent, adding to the challenge.
A good amount of variety rounds out the game. In order to pass a level, you must do enough damage to your opponent, achieved by matching three or more wasabi pieces. Creating particular sushi amounts (orders) resulting in healing and other special effects, and matching four or more pieces gives you an extra turn.
The graphics during the game itself are pretty cool - the sushi tray is displayed at a slight angle, and moves are made via grasping chopsticks. I found myself getting hungry while playing.

iphone game chop sushi cut scene

The Bad

Bizarre, off-putting graphics between levels. Your character is a pink blob sporting a chef’s hat that seems to be a deformed squid. You traverse an seashore environment, encountering ovoid, gray businessmen, haunted by sushi-entities whose minds you blow with a sushi challenges. Like I said, weird, and rather superfluous to the game itself.

Conclusion

While the peculiar graphics between levels weren’t my cup of green tea, they don’t overpower the strong game within Chop Sushi. Bejeweled addicts will find much to like, and if one is a sushi addict as well, all the better. Recommended.