"Candy Crush Saga" –- arguably the world’s most addictive game -- just got a massive overhaul with a new world and a whole new set of levels. Say goodbye to your social life and productivity once again.
The free-to-play puzzle game is by many metrics the most successful mobile game of all time. The title, which is free to play but includes the possibility of in-app purchases to buy extra lives and power-ups, reportedly brings in close to $1 million a day. Last month it hit half a billion downloads.
It has even hooked Fox News’ own Shepard Smith.
Apart from the addictive gameplay, one of the ways King – the company behind the game – has kept players coming back for more is by providing more and more levels in which the gamer can get lost.
But now, for the first time, King has provided a radical expansion – one that completely overhauls the game, introducing a whole new world that is accessible even to gamers who haven’t completed the current levels.
The new area is called "Dreamworld," and the player is guided through this land of nod by the lovable Odus the Owl.
The sleepy blue and dark world has an entirely different character to the lively "normal" world to which players have become accustomed. The soothing music sounds like something out of a lullaby while Odus keeps an eye on your progress from the corner of the screen.
But aesthetics aren’t all that have changed here. While the core gameplay is the same, Dreamworld adds a few twists. Odus is perched on a moon with two candies on either side, and one of the new rules of play is that you must keep him balanced there. Match an inordinate amount of one candy over the other, and the moon will tilt. If the moon tilts too much, your new owl friend will fall off.
And you definitely want to keep him around, for if everything is balanced correctly, Odus will eventually fly into the center of the screen and activate the new "Moon Struck" power – which clears all of a certain candy off the screen. Crushers will know immediately what a valuable tool that is.
The new emphasis on balance, as well as the addition of the power-up, adds a new angle to an already strong gameplay mechanic. Fans who may be becoming a little weary of the same old graphics, music and gameplay will find the overhaul enough of a makeover to bring them back into the game once again, while finding the same "Candy Crush" charm that has kept gamers hooked since its release last year.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a very important date with an owl…
Adam Shaw writes about video games for FoxNews.com. You can reach him at adam.shaw@foxnews.com or follow him on Twitter @Kupo1211.
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