Pueblo Chevy burial ground.

Snuggle Truck has something of a sordid history for an iOS title. Initially dubbed Smuggle Truck, the game was supposed to be a cynical-if-satirical commentary on U.S. immigration policies -- basically a humorous take on the decidedly more stone-faced rigmarole aliens are subjected to in order to acquire the federal authorization necessary to legally immigrate to the United States. After months of carefully designing their game to be as non-stereotypical as possible, developer Owlchemy Labs app received word that Apple rejected Smuggle Truck for distribution on the App Store.

While the original Smuggle Truck has seen the light of day on PC and Mac (it's $5 for both versions together), the reskinned Snuggle Truck is what remains of the game for iOS devices. Rather than using a beat-up, Chevy-ish pickup to smuggle immigrants over the border through a series of obstacle-laden, generally Southwestern landscapes, you use a beat-up, Chevy-ish pickup to transport fuzzy stuffed animals to the zoo through a series of obstacle-laden, generally Southewestern landscapes. In other words, this is exactly the same game, only with a sugary coat of paint.

Archimedes doesn't condone the smuggling of fluffy stuffed animals.

Naturally, this means the gameplay hasn’t been altered, either. Using your thumbs to move forward or in reverse on either edge of the screen, you navigate an open-bed truck across the treacherous terrain, keeping as many plushies in the back of the truck as possible. The trick here is wrangling Snuggle Truck’s physics -- hit a jump going full speed and your unwieldy transport will go flying in odd directions unless you tilt your iOS device to the left or right to stabilize it.

On the ground things are just as rocky; run over a bumpy rock or hit the overhang of, say, a passage in a mineshaft too quickly and it may upend your truck, spilling valuable cargo. You’ll occasionally pass “fuzzy” launchers, as well, and gain extra points if you can manage to catch these flying objects (they were originally abandoned babies in Smuggle Truck) with your moving vehicle. Power-ups like boosters or a covered dome for the truck can make things a little easier, but it’s always best to say vigilant in case of rough roads.

Doesn't look like much a zoo.

Snuggle Truck is a decent game, and some of the challenges it presents are pretty interesting. But without the contextual reference to immigration policy, it loses whatever teeth it may have had -- the gameplay isn’t varied or compelling enough to carry the experience for more than a few levels.

The bottom line. Snuggle Truck is an average physics game whose core idea is lost in censorship. It may provide a modicum of fun for those looking to lose a few minutes, but this is probably only good for casual players.