Random House Digital launched their first original game app today: Catch the Berry. In this physics-based puzzle game, mystical creatures called the Telfnords harvest and collect magical berries. The object of the game is to catch the berries and gems in the Telfnords’ basket using your knowledge of gravity, velocity, and acceleration.

To catch berries, the user draws lines anywhere on the screen to impact the trajectory of the berry. The lines can be straight, curved, or even have gaps in between them. As you progress through the game, additional obstacles will be presented. If a level adds a challenging new element, one of the Telfnords speak in their native language and gives you a pointer on how to complete that level. Some of these obstacles include…

  • collecting three gems while simultaneously catching the berries in the basket
  • racing against the clock for bonus points
  • knowing when to try to use the device’s built-in accelerometer to impact the path of the berry
  • navigating with bubbles and avoiding sharp objects
  • working with a limited number of lines for each level

Tapping on the berry begins the level. Throughout the level you draw lines to get the berry into the basket. However, there is a finite amount of lines that you can use for each level. In the center at the top there is a blue line which indicates how long the line can be. As you draw a line, the blue bar shrinks. Paying attention to the order you create the lines is critical because that is the order in which the lines get removed. Tapping on the eraser removes the oldest line on the screen. Lines can be drawn and altered after the berry has been dropped.

There are a total of four worlds in Catch the Berry, each containing twenty levels. If you’re feeling a bit impatient and want to unlock all of the worlds and levels, the gem icon on the main screen will allow you to do so through an in-app purchase of $1.99.

Catch the Berry is an extremely addictive and challenging game that will keep you entertained, while the Game Center and Facebook integration provide a social and competitive aspect to keep you coming back for more. Catch the Berry is available today from the App Store at an introductory price of $1.99.