GDC: Hands on with games from EA Mobile and Chillingo

05.03.2011
On Wednesday, Electronic Arts' and divisions unveiled their latest iOS game titles at the Game Developers Conference. The games, which span a variety of genres, shed light on how Electronic Arts is handling Chillingo after it the developer last October.

Chillingo continues to co-develop and publish creative, casual-focused games. At the same time, Chillingo is also exploring new ground with two titles that suggest a new move towards attracting the male 18-to-35 demographic. Meanwhile, EA Mobile is taking a cue from its publishing partner and creating more original casual franchises, in addition to its usual ports of successful franchises.

Due out March 10 (price not available), EA Mobile's Liqua Pop is a "match-colors" casual iPhone game that promises to be as addictive as it is colorful.

Set on a vibrant leaf, you need to use your iOS device's touchscreen controls to drag differently-colored liquid droplets together until they're big enough to pop. By clearing the stage of the liquid blob, you get more points. Of course, while you're popping liquid blobs, the top of the screen is filling up with more.

You need to keep track of the power-ups (identified by the bugs that are contained within the droplets) to ensure you'll get the maximum points. Combos are key, as are fast reflexes.