Nibblers (sometimes refered to as Fruit Nibblers) is a Match Three Puzzle Game centered around a group of sea creatures created in 2015 by Rovio Entertainment (of Angry Birds fame). As the game begins, a raspberry falls into the sea and is discovered by Coral, an angler fish. Delighted about its taste, she gathers some friends to surface onto an island, from whence the fruit came. However, inhabiting the island is a group of Lizards, who see these fish as a delectable meal.
This game is divided into various themes, with a Boss Lizard at the end of each section. Each level has set conditions that must be fulfilled before moves are exhausted.
- Defeat the Lizards: Self-explanatory; the level requires the player to clear Lizards out of a level. This is usually done by making matches next to a lizard or sending a Nibbler towards it. Matching the first time will only daze the Lizard, though some Lizards are immune to matches. Some Lizards also have abilities that can hinder a player's progress.
- Get a number of a specified fruit: The level is complete after the allotted number of a specified fruit is collected. This can be either of the following: oranges, bananas, pears, raspberries, plumberries, and/or rosehips. Levels asking for only a small number typically have all of the specified number strewn out somehow, and be difficult to obtain.
- Rescue the Helpless Fish: Levels with this objective will ask the player to escort the Helpless Fish to either the bottom of the level or to a water tile. Later levels have these fish in baskets that need to be broken.
- Remove the mud: Some levels have mud tiles that must be cleared away, either via matches or Nibblers. Later levels have mud so thick, they need an adjacent match or a Nibbler to clear the way.
- Defeat the Boss: Also self-explanatory; the Boss Lizard must be taken down, usually with Nibblers.
The group of Nibblers consist of the following:
- Coral, normally obtained though matching four fruits. Once activated, she damages anything in front of her.
- The Bitelings, consisting of four individuals (Barb, Bob, Nib, and the Other Bob), normally obtained through matching five fruits in a T shape or an angle. Once activated, they damage anything on all sides.
- Octo, normally obtained through matching five fruits in a straight row or column or via activation of Octo Strike. Once activated, he not only damages anything in his path, anything in adjacent rows or columns will also receive damage.
- Bouncer, obtained with a high enough cascade. Once activated, he bounds and lands in a random spot, eliminating anything in a 3 by 3 square beneath him, and eliminates fruit within a certain radius. Early versions had him land exclusively in the center.
- Clawdia, activated via Smash Crab. Once activated, she destroys everything in a selected square.
- Jawnathan, activated via Shark Attack. Once activated, he eliminates everything present on the level, while only damaging golden blocks only once.
- Puffer Fish, which was available during the game's early years, but has been
Dummied Out and replaced with Octo Strike. When activated, they would puff up to destroy adjacent fruit.
This game provides examples of:
- Advertising by Association: It's being advertised as "from the creators of Angry Birds".
- All There in the Manual: Lizzypedia, found in the game, gives some info about the Nibblers, the Lizards, and the various items found in the level.
- Anti-Frustration Features:
- After running out of moves, players could spend coins to gain five more moves to work with.
- Trying a level again after exhausting moves allows the option of a free booster in exchange for watching a trailer or a commercial. Depending on the level, the booster can be either a free Coral, damage to random blocks, or a Miracle Fruit, which eliminates whichever fruit it is swapped with.
- One update allows players to use the Slot to place between one and three of either Coral, Octo, or Bitelings after matching various fruits.
- Armor Is Useless: Bamboo Lizards' armor can block a match just fine, but when a Nibbler strikes, the armor is ignored.
- Bigfoot, Sasquatch, and Yeti: Bigtooth, the boss of Frost Fangs, is based on the Yeti, along with the lesser Yeti Lizards. Lizzypedia even goes further with this in his description:Bigtooth's existence has been questioned for a long time. Too bad the Nibblers don't have a camera.
- Big Fun: Bouncer is one of the largest members of the group, and he loves parties.
- Bonus Stage: Treasure Lizard levels. While it's rewarding to defeat one, running out of moves won't result in a failed level. Players can be awarded coins and power-ups, so long as there's any left in the treasure chest.
- Bottomless Pits: Introduced in Rumble Road. Fruits and Lizards can be dragged into those to remove them from play.
- Brick Joke: Upon reaching Viny Climb, Coral comments about her disgust that turtles breathe through their rears. Once the group reaches Acid Bog several worlds later, she comments on the acidic stench and wonders if it's the turtles again.
- Bubblegloop Swamp: Bayou Brawl.
- The Casanova: Octo sees himself as quite the charmer. He even tries to smooch a Lizard that tries to taunt him!
- Chekhov's Volcano: Introduced in Coral Atoll, volcanos need to be agitated enough in order to erupt and inflict damage on all squares. The Nibblers won't be affected, though.
- Color-Coded for Your Convenience: Regular levels are blue, hard levels are purple, and boss levels are red.
- Dragon Hoard: Discussed in Hothead's Lizzypedia entry. Apparently he had a hearding problem, but he is able to remain treasure and damsel free with a twelve step program.
- Escort Mission: Some levels have you guide helpless fish into water. They are impervious to everything, so a potential run-in with danger is the least of your worries...
- Funny Background Event: On the overworld, some mook Lizards will appear on the map. Some of them will do something cute or hilarious, such as Yeti Lizards building snowmen, or Cactus Lizards trying to disguise themselves as cacti.
- Giver of Lame Names: Flappydactyl, the boss of Cloud Peak Cliff, criticizes his parent's choice of name for him, and he wished they'd give him something that's menacing, like Terrordactyl.
- The Hedge of Thorns: Thorny Turf and Bramble Marsh.
- Holiday Mode: During special festivities, Coral dons appropriate attire and holds a bingo event for players to try.
- An Ice Person:
- Bigtooth uses snowballs as one of his attacks.
- On the Mook side, there are Yeti Lizards that throw snow blocks and Blizards that coat anything it passes into snow blocks.
- Idle Animation: Any Nibbler or Lizard can have a few of these, from looking around to:
- Coral humming
- Octo flirting
- Barb toying with the Other Bob
- Standing Lizards snickering before escalating to a full-blown evil laugh.
- Lizards have paired-up idle animations. If next to another lizard, they will be plotting together. If a Nibbler is next to a Lizard, though, the Lizard will taunt them, with the Nibbler retaliating.
- Inherently Funny Words: Upon entering Banana Paradise, Coral finds the word "banana" amusing. However, she adds too many "na"s when trying to say the word. The lizard that replies has similar issues with saying the word.
- Jungle Japes: Jungle Jam.
- Lethal Lava Land: Volcano Grounds.
- Made of Explodium: Lava Rocks can explode if they are struck at least once.
- Number of the Beast: Level 666 features the alchemy symbol of sulfur formed with rosehips held by sticky goo and lava rocks, and the objectives are defeating 6 Mud Lizards, clearing 6 mud tiles, and collecting 66 rosehips.
- Oh, Crap!: Hover a Nibbler's path over a Lizard, and they will react accordingly.
- One-Steve Limit: Averted with the Bitelings, which has two Bobs.
- Palmtree Panic: Cornucopia Cove and Coral Atoll
- Playing with Fire:
- Drygon, the boss of Desert Fruit Trail, dries fruit with fireballs.
- Hothead, the boss of Volcano Grounds, destroys everything with fire breath.
- As for the Mooks, the Lava Lizards, which spit fireballs that damage wherever they land.
- Reptiles Are Abhorrent: These Lizards will stop at nothing to catch themselves a fish dinner.
- Rolling Attack:
- Armadillo Lizards use this as their means of attack.
- As for Boss Lizards, Rumbledillo and Bigtooth have this as a means of attack, with Bigtooth also throwing snowballs.
- Shifting Sand Land: Desert Fruit Trail.
- Shout-Out:
- Up to a certain point, each update starts with "FISH ARE FRIENDS NOT FOOD".
- The boss of Acid Bog is Cobracabana, which runs with this down to the achievement for defeating her ("Her Name Was Lola") and her Lizzypedia entry ("With her, music and passion are always in fashion").
- Defeating Thornzilla yields the achievement "Thornzilaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!".
- Defeating Lizard Wizard yields the achievement "OVER 1000!!!"
- Shows Damage:
- Durable Lizards will sport black eyes if damaged the first time, or in the case of Cactus Lizards, their armor gets Clothing Damage.
- Blocks that take more than one hit will show cracks.
- Slippy-Slidey Ice World: Frost Fangs and Silvery Tundra
- Snakes Are Sinister: Snakes and Vipers are part of the Lizards, and can make things difficult for the player with the goo they spit out. While the Snake's goo simply hold a fruit in place, a Viper's goo dissolves the fruit, leaving it as an empty goo block that cannot be destroyed through matches. Like most species, they have boss versions: the sisters Rattleneck and Cobracabana, respectively.
- Socialization Bonus: Inviting Facebook friends has Bouncer arrive more often and add Nibblers to the start of a boss battle.
- Super Drowning Skills: Most Lizards can be defeated by simply plunging them into a water tile. The exceptions are Turtles, Crocodiles, Mud Lizards, Blizards, and Sea Lizards; while Turtles and Crocodiles are able to swim, Mud Lizards cannot be moved into a water tile, Blizards freeze water tiles that they come across, and Sea Lizards appear exclusively in water tiles.
- Suspiciously Specific Denial: Lizzypedia tries to deny that Bambolero and Thornzilla are Biz Liz with bamboo/cactus armor.
- Teleportation Spam: One of Lizard Wizard's tricks, when he's not firing lasers.
- Too Awesome to Use: Shark Attacks, which clear the board, cannot be bought with coins. Instead, they are typically given out during events, causing many a player to hold on to them until it's really needed.
- Turns Red: After six hits, Boss Lizards will change their attack patterns, either via quantity of attacks or an increase in power.
- Vegetarian Carnivore: Jawnathan, despite being a shark, prefers eating fruit over lizards, as lizards ruin his diet.
- Walking Wasteland: Desert Lizards dry up any fruit they pass.
- Wrestler in All of Us: Rumbledillo, the boss of Rumble Road, goes by Pain Cone in the wrestling ring.
- Yellow Snow: Discussed. As the group reaches Frost Fangs, Coral wonders what snow tastes like. The Lizard replies that it's tasteless, unless if it's yellow.
- Coral: So this is our page on TV Tropes? I wonder what else is there...
Lizard: That's the spirit! Let me know once your life gets ruined. Heh heh...
