PAX Australia - Bonza Hands On

Bonza was a title I had not even heard of, in fact I don't even recall spotting it on the floor at PAX Australia when I walked past the indie space on day one. I was informed of it though when reading the Penny-Arcade site Friday night, so I gave the game a go that night and I was hooked.



When I entered the Expo Hall on day 2 of PAX Australia, I made sure I would check out the Bonza stand, so when I finally did I was very happy to have the chance to chat with the team. First I told them I was pretty much addicted to the game, which after only playing it for a few hours meant they had something special.

I asked how long it had been on the market and wouldn't you know it, the game had been available for 6 months. That was quite the surprise to me, but I have never kept as up to date on games for iOS and Android as I should have. I was even informed that Jerry gave the game a little plug on stage and Apple are promoting it right still, on the app store.

What really intrigued me when speaking with the team was just how much effort they put into crafting a puzzle, each was created individually and then added to the game. I even had the chance to, ever so briefly, chat with Ash Manning the main behind the sounds and music of the game, to which my first order of business was a thank you, because the music is just so soothing and the sound effects are perfect. Ash then advised that with the new iPhone 6, 6+ and iPad Air 2, Apple had included a much better sound chip, which meant they did not have to compress the audio as much, which means anyone playing on those new devices can look forward to getting some pretty amazing sounds soon.

The main element that I took away from speaking to the team and watching people play the game is just how much joy can be found in something so simple. Everyone should know how to do a crossword, they have been around for ages and while this is not creating something 100% original, it takes something we know and gives us a new way of looking at it. So jump onto your device of choice and look it up, it is well worth your time.