Review: Fruit Mountain Adds Depth to the Suika Game Craze

Ever since Suika Sport grew to become a phenomenon, we’ve seen tons of comparable watermelon matching video games. (Or ones involving matching Vtubers or Azur Striker Gunvolt components.) With Fruit Mountain, now we have a Suika Sport sort of title that also includes matching fruits till you attain a coveted watermelon, however the 3D factor and execution makes it really feel a lot completely different.

As with Suika Sport, there is no such thing as a story to Fruit Mountain, however we’re introduced with extra of a motivation for why we’re chucking produce like a blueberry, strawberry, peach, or apple at a plate to make a watermelon. Within the background is a painter engaged on a nonetheless life. We’re getting ready the “mannequin” by placing the fruit collectively. So it feels a bit of extra distinctive and like now we have a better sense of objective.

Two modes can be found. One is an untimed, relaxed mode, whereas the opposite is a timed one wherein it’s essential stack as many fruits as you’ll be able to because the clock counts down. The gameplay mechanics stay the identical all through, although the strain is on within the latter mode. If you toss fruit onto the plate, you’ll be able to transfer left or proper round it and choose up or down to find out the peak and place of the throw. The physics of all of it imply all the pieces tends to remain the place you chucked it, although it does look like it does congregate towards the middle. Which is nice, as that divot provides you a little bit of leeway and safety in realizing issues might roll a bit into the middle.

The fruits chosen and execution really permits for a bit of little bit of technique in Fruit Mountain, maybe much more so than Suika Sport. You’ve blueberries, strawberries, what seem like durians, peaches, apples, oranges, pears, dragon fruits, pineapples, melons, melons, and watermelons. The pears, dragonfruits, and pineapples particularly assist with positioning as you try to create a stack, so it actually does develop into doable to pile up on the plate. 

What’s additionally good is the combo factor. In the event you can create a sequence of fruits matching collectively one after one other, you get a rating bonus. So even early on as I began Fruit Mountain, I felt like I completed one thing even when I didn’t attain the melon or watermelon and nonetheless received to see larger scores. 

There are some components that might profit Fruit Mountain that aren’t right here, however could be useful. Extra or improved leaderboards could be useful. I’m not the most important fan of the music, however more often than not I did find yourself simply muting it and enjoying whereas I had some senseless TV present on or different music enjoying. I additionally discovered that Fruit Mountain can typically really feel a bit too simple, when you get the cling of it, in comparison with Suika Sport and different watermelon or fruit matching titles. Nonetheless, it being a title within the area that’s cozier and extra relaxed might make it good for individuals.

I do know we’re certain to see a lot extra Suika Sport clones, however so long as we get genuinely artistic takes on the watermelon matching components like Fruit Mountain, I’m okay with it. It completely looks like one of many extra relaxed and comfortable choices on this new subset of the puzzle style. The presentation appears to be like good. Plus the implementation of tossing fruits in a 3D setting with no “partitions” round a field actually provides a brand new factor of technique to it. 

Fruit Mountain is on the market for the Nintendo Swap, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC.