Dibbles: For the Greater Good Review

Dibbles: For the Greater Good is a game in the Dibbles series that is available both online and as an Android app. It is available in the Amazon Appstore and was recently a Free App of the Day. In this game, Dibbles are trying to get their king to safety from point A to B. There are many obstacles such as water and high cliffs blocking the path and the Dibbles are willing to sacrifice their lives in order to protect their king. Your job is to aid them by giving them commands as to how to maneuver the obstacle course.

The game starts off rather simple and the levels are easy to figure out. However, the difficulty of the levels will quickly escalate. The answers are not always readily apparent and you'll have to think fast. Each level only has a set amount of Dibbles you are able to use while saving as many as possible will result in a higher score. Dibbles will need to be sacrificed along the way in order for other Dibbles to cross gaps or water. For small steps, Dibbles will automatically jump over them. They can fall off cliffs and if the cliff is too high they will die.

Commands are given in the form of command stones that you can place beforehand. The first Dibble that touches the stone will pick up and execute the command. The placement of the stones is extremely important as placing a stone one space off could mean you have to restart the level. Each stone will result in the loss of one Dibble. There are many different types of command stones. Some examples are: Bridge (The Dibble will use its ears to make a bridge between small gaps); Bounce (Other Dibbles can use the sacrificed Dibble as a trampoline to jump over large gaps); Float (The Dibble will turn itself into a stepping stone in the water); Block (Other Dibbles will change direction); and Climb (Dibbles can go climb up high walls). You're given only a certain number of command stones at the beginning of each level, so use them wisely! There are, however, instances, where you can complete a level without using all of the command stones. If you misplace a command stone, the X button on the right hand side will allow you to delete and replace the stone.

If you're ever stuck, the game does offer you a complete video walkthrough of each level. However, you'll need to download a separate app (Game Hub) for that out of convenience. The good thing though is that the walkthrough app is completely free. Do note that you will need some sort of Internet connection in order to see the walkthrough as the videos are on YouTube. Of course, if you don't want to download the second app, you can always directly go to YouTube to find them there. For those who want the link, it is here.

The game is rather short, with 33 levels in total. None of the levels will truly stump a player for long so this game can be finished rather quickly. For a price of $1.99 there doesn't seem to be enough content.

The controls themselves are also very precise and the in-game instructions will take care of you nicely.

A nice thing about this game is that there is no in-game store so you will never have to spend real pocket money in order to gain more stuff. However, there is a button "More Games" on the main menu screen that will direct you to the other games made by the developer and also more games in the Dibble series such as Winter Woes and Pro Pack. Of course, these games will cost money but nowhere does Dibbles: For the Greater Good force you to buy them.

While the graphics are nice and very cartoony in nature and the Dibbles adorable, the game can be rather disturbing at times. For one thing, you are basically forcing the Dibbles to commit suicide in order for the other Dibbles to continue, and each sacrifice is animated. Dibbles becoming Bridges or Blocks aren't too bad as they don't really kill themselves. Other Dibbles will simply step over the Bridge Dibbles and bounce off of the statue Block Dibbles. However, it is the Bounce and Float Dibbles that I find to be truly disturbing. For Bounce, you see the poor little Dibble snap its neck and head off to become a trampoline while the Float Dibbles end up drowning themselves.


So, in the end, the Dibbles can be a fun little game to pass the time. Despite the cartoon-like graphics, I would not recommend this game to a young child due to the Dibbles' suicidal natures. The game itself is also very short, so most likely it's not worth paying the $2 price. Since it's available online for free at many sites such as ArmorGames (Link here), it would probably be a better idea to play it there rather than purchasing the app. I give this game 3.5 to 4 stars.