As children, many have succumbed to the ever present bath-time temptation of flinging toys around, bouncing them off the tub and walls, and splashing them in and out of the water. Not surprisingly, these antics likely earned the energetic bather a sharp warning or an equally sharp scolding. Furthermore, as we age, there simply aren't as many opportunities to play with bath toys, enthusiastically or otherwise. Fortunately, there are games like Shark Dash that allow players to indulge themselves in a few minutes of childlike abandon.
In the physics puzzler Shark Dash, the player controls tiny toy sharks in bath tubs. In each level the player pulls back and releases the shark to launch it in certain direction. Much like in other physics based games, by controlling the shark's trajectory and speed, the player moves it around the stage collecting certain things. In this case the shark collects rubber ducks, and by "collects" we of course mean that it eats rubber ducks. Unlike many other physics based games, however, the puzzles in this game are ingeniously constructed and their solutions more often than not seem very much like a Rube Goldberg machine. The interaction between each level's various obstacles and tools makes finding the cleverest way to clear each stage with the fewest jumps a sheer delight.
By doing well on each level, players earn stars that will unlock new levels. Coins collected in each level can also be used to unlock new character skins via the in-game shop. This added content does well to extend the life of the game.
The environments and characters in this game are beautifully animated, each with it's own personality and flair. The controls are simple and the physics are solid. While the physics puzzler genre is a crowded one, the puzzles in this game and the satisfaction players will derive from solving them make Shark Dash a stand out title.