AppCraver » Adventure

Race For Home Mixes Fantasy with Action

Amelia Sauter — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 23:00:54 +0000

Race for Home is a surreal game that combines adventure with the fantastical. Race for Home is a simple game that draws the gamer deep into its clutch.

Race for Home from Shawn Kollat is delightfully creepy. Your job is to help Grace float home by hooking her umbrella on different things in the sky, such as rockets or angels. On each level in Race for Home, there is an evil one whose only goal is to foil Grace’s progress. For example, Grace is followed on Level 6 by a shooting star who literally shoots Grace.

As Grace hooks her umbrella onto different objects in the sky, she is thrust forward on a trajectory while you try to follow the arrow and guide her to three gifts floating somewhere in the sky. You feel a thrill as Grace is propelled through the air, only to feel devastated as she is shot down by one of the bad guys. Her demise is rather morbid; her burnt body tumbles toward the ground for a few seconds before she recovers.

When you achieve specific amounts of points in Race For Home, you are eligible to “purchase” upgrades for Grace with your points, such as a fireproof dress.

I wish there were more levels in Race for Home, but even more, I wish I could move between the levels at will. Currently, I am playing Race for Home on Level 6, and my only option is to complete level 6 which, unfortunately for me, is significantly more difficult than the other levels. I would love to take a break and play other levels of Race for Home or restart the game, but these options are not available to the user, or at least, not that I can find.

In Race for Home, the themes are odd and the characters creepy, but it feels right. The delicate music adds to the sense of the surreal. Race for Home is a wonderful game as is; with the ability to move between levels and start over (and maybe the addition of a few more levels), I think Race for Home would be nothing short of excellent.

app_name: Race for Home
rating: 8/10

Shift Is a Fine Puzzler

Shawn Leonard — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 01:00:47 +0000

Echochrome was one of my favorite games of 2008. It was a PSP downloadable puzzle game that was all about changing perspectives and using physics to solve puzzles to complete levels. So when a game brings back memories of spending hours playing through Echochrome, it’s a very good thing in my world. Shift isn’t a clone of Echochrome in any sense, but Armor Games has created a puzzle game that puts the emphasis on creating a way out of no way to move through the game. An interesting premise for sure, but as always, folks want to know if the execution is on point and if this is a fun game. At its core, Shift is a classic “here” to “there” puzzle game. From there, it trails off the beaten path dramatically. You’re a guy that’s in a square shaped environment that consists of only two colors, black and white. This is the means to create the main mechanic for the whole game, as the way to navigate around the level is done by shifting perspective to get a different view of the level. So what appears to be a dead end can magically become a stair case by shifting perspective by tilting the iPhone forwards or backwards. You’ll climb stairs, make jumps, avoid spikes, and collect keys to unlock moving platforms all in the effort to exit through the door to complete the level.

Control mechanics are solid, but they’ll take some time to get used to. Movement left or right is controlled through holding the arrows on the screen. If you want to jump, you have to tap the arrow that isn’t being used while holding the arrow that is being used to walk. This isn’t a scheme I was used to, but it was the right decision versus having an imprecise control stick on the screen. Shifting is done by tilting the iPhone, but there are ways to modify that mechanic in the options menu.

The presentation in Shift will not blow up anyone’s skirt, but the minimalistic approach is effective. After all, there’s only so many things you can do with a black and white color palette. Slick menus and short loading times are included, but my favorite part of the presentation is the music. It uses a throwback detective musical ditty that’s full of percussion and brass instruments. If you’re not feeling the music, the game allows you to listen to stuff from your iPod library as well. For a buck, I had a great time playing through Shift. It’s not the most full featured game out there, and it’s not going to be the hardest or most expansive game you’ve ever played either. All I can say is that Shift is an outstanding and unique puzzler that I suspect many people will enjoy.

rating: 8/10
app_name: Shift

Jungle Bloxx is Digital Chocolate’s Latest Puzzle Adventure

Jennifer Beam — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 19:00:33 +0000

Jungle Bloxx – From their early titles like Chocolate Shop Frenzy to their most recent, Digital Chocolate is becoming somewhat of a giant in the way of App Store games. Many of their games, like Crazy Penguin Catapult and 3D Brick Breaker Revolution have become fast favorites of many users.

Their recent release of Jungle Bloxx is a simple, fun, puzzle style game that is supported by features expected of Digital Chocolate; including nicely animated graphics, supporting story line, cut scenes, and good sound.

Jungle Bloxx is a puzzle adventure game that spans 90 levels of hunting for the mythical city of El Dorado. The journey consists of block breaking puzzles, where players attempt to free a diamond from a block structure in as few moves as possible. Unique blocks, such as fire, ice, and extra time, keep the game pace challenging and with so many levels, intermittent match three mini-games, and the ability to replay any level for a higher score, game play and entertainment value is completely solid.

For each level of Jungle Bloxx you are presented with a block structure with a gem resting on one of the blocks. Tapping individual blocks will cause the block to react according to the type of block it is and will change the structure of the block tower. Your objective is to get the gem down to the podium that the block tower is built upon in a minimum number of moves.

Prior to the start of each level, the fewest moves possible, along with the minimum number of moves to complete the level are displayed. When the level is finished, you will be awarded a gold medal if you freed the gem in the fewest possible moves, and if not, one of the animated monkeys will tell you how many moves it should have taken. You can then advance to the next level or retry it for the best score. Other achievements, such as finding hidden relics and unlocking ancient tombs are also included.

The only draw back to Jungle Bloxx is a slower-than-average load time, even for such a large game. The annoyingly disproportionate heroine of the story is a female version of Indian Jones and is a bit much, but she’s hardly the game’s focus and the monkeys more than make up for it. Aside from this, you get a very extensive game that is both fun and simple to play, yet challenging to complete. Be sure to poke the monkeys for some added amusement.

If you’re not sure if Jungle Bloxx is your kind of game, remember Digital Chocolate always offers a free, limited version to try before you buy and Jungle Bloxx Lite will give you a sufficient idea of how it all plays out.

rating: 8/10
app_name: Jungle Bloxx

Bed Bugs is a Sleepwalking Adventure

Amelia Sauter — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 20:30:20 +0000

Sleeping should be a peaceful activity, but for the little guy in Bed Bugs, it can get pretty intense. Igloo Games, the makers of Dizzy Bee, has developed another winner with Bed Bugs.

When playing Bed Bugs, your goal is to use multi-touch to eliminate the floating bad guys so the sleepwalker does not wake up as he snores and travels various landscapes. If you are not quick enough, the sleepwalker will awake with a start and the game will be over.

I had two recurring thoughts when I played the first few levels of Bed Bugs. The first was that Bed Bugs seemed too easy. The second was that Bed Bugs needed instructions. Now that I am playing Level 9, or should I say, kind of stuck on Level 9, I have changed my mind on both of these judgments.

Part of the fun of Bed Bugs is that when new enemies appear on each level, you have to figure out what it takes to squash them. For example, the happy-looking fairies do not disappear until you have gotten rid of the other bad guys, and if you accidentally tap a fairy, she disturbs the sleepwalker’s slumber. Level 9 of Bed Bugs introduces a grey character that you have to blow up by holding your finger down on him for a few seconds. Each of the new bad guys joins previous bad guys, not replacing them, so Bed Bugs gets pretty hectic as you play on, making you wish you had more fingers.

My only complaint is that if you have to re-do a level on Bed Bugs, the setup is exactly the same each time. The same baddies come in the same patterns at the same rate. In the long run, I do not imagine that I will want to continue to play Bed Bugs after I have finished the 28 levels.

Overall, Bed Bugs makes nightmares fun and gets your fingers flying. Bed Bugs is easy enough at the lower levels for kids, and hard enough on higher levels to keep you challenged as the game gets faster and more complicated. And Bed Bugs is darn cute, too. Give Bed Bugs a try, especially if you liked Dizzy Bee.

Watch a Bed Bugs video:

rating: 9/10
app_name: Bed Bugs

Crazy Penguin Catapult 2 Launches into App Store

Jennifer Beam — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:00:44 +0000

With a great deal of success under their belts, Digital Chocolate continues to roll out iPhone games in the App Store. In the process, they must have seen some potential for increased success by adding a sequel to their award-winning, high-ranking Crazy Penguin Catapult.

Crazy Penguin Catapult 2 is now available and if you loved the first one, you’ll probably feel the same about the continuation of the crazy penguin’s arctic adventures.

To those who are familiar with the original, Crazy Penguin Catapult 2 will be familiar. Very familiar. Though it contains newly designed levels and new power ups available by earning stars, Crazy Penguin Catapult 2 has the same look and feel as the first. You try to earn the maximum number of penguins for your army by catapulting them into each level and then knock out the polar bears. Some levels are easy, but a few will require full penguin capacity to beat.

Crazy Penguin Catapult 2 and its predecessor are both fun games with a “cool” premise and great sound effects coupled with entertaining gameplay. Crazy Penguin Catapult 2 features 50 new levels and power ups to help defeat the polar bears, including drill penguin, Houdini penguin and grenade penguin. In addition to the familiar campaign mode gameplay, Crazy Penguin Catapult 2 also features strategy mode, the game where you strategically attempt to win all squares on a map in a series of penguin-polar bear face offs.

Though it should have been easy for something new and different to have been added to Crazy Penguin Catapult 2, be it a new mini-game or a different type of strategy game, to really set it apart from the original, it remains a near mirror to the first in all but actual level design. Users do get a bit of respect as Crazy Penguin Catapult 2 is available for two bucks less than the original launch price of the first version, but it would have been crazy to ask for more.

Those of you who adored Crazy Penguin Catapult will surely appreciate Crazy Penguin Catapult 2 and those who have never played can check out a lite version of either for free. In some cases, familiarity breeds contempt, but its hard to hate either version of Crazy Penguins. You get better power ups with Crazy Penguin Catapult 2, but both versions offer casual, entertaining on-the-go fun.

app_name: Crazy Penguin Catapult 2
rating: 8/10

lilt line Will Open Your Ears and Eyes to the Future of Musical Games

Shawn Leonard — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 22:30:13 +0000

lilt line - As the music genre continues to gain mainstream traction with the Guitar Heros and Rock Bands of the world, it’s inevitable that we’ll see efforts that aim to imitate instead of innovate.

This point has already been proven with six versions of the critically and casually acclaimed “Tap Tap Revenge” titles on the iPhone. To my delight, the group at different cloth (btw, doesn’t that name kick ass?) has dropped an inspired musical confection to obliterate all the clones.

Lilt line will not change the world, but I can confidently say that it’ll make you hopeful about the future of musical games on the iPhone.

At the core of lilt line is its use of the dubstep genre of music grown out of the UK garage era back in 2000. There are a few interpretations of what the musical style is at its foundation, but it’s a bass heavy form of techno/jungle that has a dark and foreboding feel. I find the music quite captivating and hypnotic, and I was stoked to see it be a lynchpin component in Lilt Line.

Now that you’re all caught up on dubstep, let’s get into the gameplay that powers Lilt Line. In this level based musical adventure, you assume the role of a nimble white line flowing in a two dimensional linear path. Tilting the iPhone left or right makes your line move up or down, and this simple mechanic handles all movement in the game. While the goal is get the end of the level, there a few considerations that you have to account for. First, your line can’t touch any portion of the solid black areas in the level. Second, you have to tap the screen in rhythm with occasional gray columns that correspond to beats in the music. Failing on either of these considerations deducts points from your scoreboard, and losing all of your points triggers a “Game Over” screen. The prevailing feeling you get in playing through the game is that you’re helping conduct an aural thrill ride.

As a compliment to the great music, lilt line creates a mini rave for your eyes as well. The visual schema is basic and fundamentally sound, and the guys at different cloth did an excellent job of creating interesting angles for you to ascend and descend through with your line. I’m a sucker for beautiful gradients, and I found the use of them in the backgrounds exceptional and appropriate for the swings in the musical tonality.

As much as adore lilt line, there are some warnings that I’d be irresponsible not to note. One, the game is criminally short. I was able to blow through the game in an hour, and some may feel a bit cheated after laying down their $3. I’ve done multiple playthroughs because of the excellent music, but your mileage may vary. Two, Lilt Line is short on extras and alternate gameplay modes to provide tangible replay value. With the imminent release of the 3.0 firmware, development studios have to step their game up to keep pace with the best of the best. These issues aside, I had fun with lilt line and I’m hopeful that different cloth can pump more content into the game to increase the perceived and actual value proposition.

Check out this trailer of gameplay footage from Lilt Line:

app_name: lilt line
rating: 7/10

Ring-a-Ding-Ding Sonic the Hedgehog is Now for iPhone

Jennifer Beam — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 20:00:17 +0000

Nearly six months to the day from Sega’s release of Super Monkey Ball for the iPhone, Sega’s golden boy, Sonic the Hedgehog, has made his official appearance in the App Store.

Arguably, Sonic is to Sega what Mario is to Nintendo and because the iPhone and Touch are so handy for portable gaming, most users will welcome a title like Sonic the Hedgehog with open arms (and open wallets). I know I was certainly one of Sonic’s biggest fans during his original debut on the Sega platform and to this day, have every inch of the first two Green Hill Zone levels memorized and could play through them in my sleep.

It stands to reason that the appearance of Sonic the Hedgehog for iPhone and Touch left me eyeing it and wondering whether the translation from platform to platform would go well and in many ways it does. It is the same game and remains intact – from the loop-de-loops and blazing fast tunnels, right down to the hidden ring bonus and invincibility blocks. Excited as I am to have it for on-the-go play, there’s simply not a lot to say except that it’s Sonic the Hedgehog for iPhone and thankfully, none of the enjoyment was lost in translation.

If you are somehow unfamiliar with Sonic the Hedgehog, I encourage you to become familiar with him. There’s something about Sonic that is just plain loveable. Though Sonic himself is mascot and star of several games spanning several platforms, Sonic the Hedgehog is the original Sonic game and is a 2D side-scrolling adventure that features a determined Sonic battling the evil Dr. Eggman and his mechanical minions. Collect rings, defeat the bad guys and the bosses and save the day.

The only major gripes I have with Sonic the Hedgehog on the iPhone are the controls and the performance. If this were an individual or up-and-coming development company, I would probably not even question the performance. After all, it’s decent, but coming from a major big-wig like Sega I expect perfection and the individual frames seem to drag a bit mid-game. It’s nothing a future performance update wouldn’t fix should Sega choose to do it, but they’re Sega — they don’t have to do anything.

As for the controls, they take some getting used to and because Sonic the Hedgehog uses the touch screen D-pad — which I often find distasteful simply because I can’t “feel” it — I had to practice a time or two just to get past level 2 of the Green Hill Zone. However, I don’t see any other way it could have been done. Use of the accelerometer function would make Sonic the Hedgehog feel unnatural in my humble opinion. Plus to be fair, the touch screen controls are more responsive than many other games I’ve played using the same method.

At the end of the day Sonic the Hedgehog for iPhone gives you seven zones featuring the familiar music and sound effects you’ve come to know and love. You can switch viewing modes from normal to arcade, which makes the control area larger and the screen way to small to enjoy playing, but it’s an option nonetheless. Be sure to keep a power source handy because Sonic takes some serious juice, which sort of defeats the purpose of mobile gaming, but in Sonic’s case who cares?

Though I suspect Sega could have cheated consumers, offering only a minimal zone or two for five bucks, they didn’t. And while Sonic the Hedgehog is a bit on the pricier side, if you’ve played before and can recall the “ching-ching” of rapid ring collection and the sonic speed of rolling through the tunnels, then you know exactly what you’re getting. If somehow you haven’t experienced Sonic yet, don’t worry — he won’t let you down.

app_name: Sonice the Hedgehog
rating: 9/10

Seek ‘n Spell is a GPS-Based Adventure Game For Groups

Amelia Sauter — Tue, 26 May 2009 17:00:09 +0000

Don’t let the name mislead you. Seek ‘n Spell is nothing like your childhood toy, Speak & Spell. In fact, forming words is only a small part of this adventurous, GPS-based scavenger hunt. Who knew a word game could be this invigorating?

Seek ‘n Spell from Retronyms uses the iPhone’s GPS function to guide you and your friends on an outdoor search for letters. After you find some letters, you can submit words for points. Forming words is not the fun part; it’s the hunting process that makes this game exciting.

The first time I played Seek ‘n Spell, it was on my street at midnight, after a couple of drinks with friends. We violated the main rule of Seek ‘n Spell, that you need to play in a wide-open area. My friends and I found ourselves running around in the dark, down side streets and in people’s back yards, whooping and hollering. Though half of the letters were unattainable on the other side of the creek, it was an adventure, that’s for certain. We had a blast.

Seek ‘n Spell requires a significant amount of pre-planning to be successful. First, you need a bunch of friends with iPhones who also have an interest in playing Seek ‘n Spell. Depending on your social circle, this may or may not be an easy task. Then you have to plan to meet in a large open area, like a park, on a nice day (or night).

Seek ‘n Spell is intuitive to use, but it is only as functional as your GPS. The first two times I played Seek ‘n Spell it worked fine, but today when I tried to play with a friend and take some screenshots, the GPS satellites found her iPhone but could not locate mine; you can see there is only one player in the screenshot above. Playing solo just does not provide the same thrill.

Though Seek ‘n Spell offers to find parks near you, it only retrieved the distant City Clerk’s office and mobile home parks for me, even though there are numerous parks by my house. It appears to use the white pages for its park search.

Seek ‘n Spell is an innovative, unique iPhone game. Though $2.99 per player is pricey, Seek ‘n Spell is a brilliant investment if you have daredevil friends with iPhones who like to run around outside. Get ready for an adventure!

app_name: Seek ‘n Spell
rating: 8/10

Assassin’s Creed – Altair’s Chronicles Stands Alone

Shawn Leonard — Wed, 13 May 2009 19:00:44 +0000

Assassin’s Creed: Altair’s Chronicles - In what’s arguably one of the biggest releases yet on the iPhone, Gameloft has taken on the ambitious task of making the first iPhone game based on Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed. The franchise was launched in 2007 and introduced gamers everywhere to a bad-ass assassin named Altair terrorizing ruthless characters during the Third Crusade back in the 12th century.

The world of Assassin’s Creed was based in meticulously detailed 3D worlds that were informed by factual records to establish authenticity. While the iPhone doesn’t come close to having the juice to fully capture the experience found on an Xbox 360 or PS3, the guys at Gameloft have gone with a different approach with Assassin’s Creed: Altair’s Chronicles for the iPhone, an enhanced port of the side-scrolling (for the most part) Nintendo DS title of the same name.

Assassin’s Creed Altair’s Chronicles is a prequel to the original game. Throughout the game’s eight-hour duration, your ultimate goal is to find the mystical Chalice, and you’ll traverse across five different historical cities (e.g. Damascus, Jerusalem, etc.) to find it. In your travels you’ll come across a variety of interesting characters that’ll scheme, plot, help, and attempt to kill you along the way. All in a day’s work for an assassin by trade.

I’d describe Altair’s Chronicles as a 2.5D stealth action-platform game. Altair does his dirt through operating in the shadows and rooftops. His preference is to get the job done without the fanfare and attention that generally comes with a public assassination. As you can imagine, it takes a great amount of dexterity and agility to hop from building to building, and this is where you’ll do much of the platforming. You’ll jump, swing, climb, and tip-toe your way through the game using the on-screen control pad. It’s highly responsive, but there will be times when you’ll be frustrated over the lack on precision on some of the more trickier platform sequences.

While traditional combat isn’t Altair’s preferred method of engaging his foes, the controls work wonderfully with responsive on-screen buttons. Along with typical options to execute light and strong sword attacks, executing counter-attacks feels good using a combination of the block and attack functions. In being true to the original Assassin’s Creed, Altair also has a stealth option to kill enemies from sneaking up on them.

One final gameplay-oriented consideration to touch on are the cool mini-games that are tied into the storyline. Throughout the game, you’ll encounter several quid-pro-quo scenarios to continue to progress in the game. Sometimes it’s as easy as killing a bad guy or simply relaying a message, but the scenarios are always interesting. As a cool way to include some interactivity on these moments, Gameloft has baked in some mini-games to spruce things up. For example, early in the game you’ll meet a guy that obviously isn’t being completely forthright in the information he’s providing you. Instead of killing him you can inflict a bit of torture through a QTE to get him to talk. I won’t spoil some of the other scenarios you’ll run into, but you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Gameloft has created quite the track record for making beautiful looking games that push the iPhone’s hardware, and Assassin’s Creed: Altair’s Chronicles is no exception. The polygonal cities in the game are powered by excellent art and detailed textures. Altair has a wide array of animations (e.g. acrobatic jumps, fight combinations, etc.) that create an impression that he is a virtuoso assassin. The only downer in this respect is some noticeable slowdown that creeps in when things get busy on screen. In addition to the visuals, the sound design here is wonderful. Whether its the chatter of the hustle and bustle in the cities, voice-over acting, or the beautiful score; I’m confident that you’ll be blown away by the quality of the audio (especially with a pair of good headphones).

Ten bucks is a lot for an iPhone game, but Gameloft has created a bone fide premium iPhone experience. Assassin’s Creed is an extremely accessible game that casual, core, and hardcore gamers can all enjoy for several hours. With the iPhone lacking in top-tier platform/action games right now, Assassin’s Creed: Altair’s Chronicles has firmly entrenched itself as the standard for the genre.

app_name: Assassin’s Creed – Altair’s Chronicles
rating: 10/10

A Classic Reborn…Myst Engulfs the iPhone

Shawn Leonard — Mon, 04 May 2009 20:00:40 +0000

Myst for iPhone – Yes, this review is about that Myst, the legendary PC game that essentially put point and click adventure games on the map. Though that style of game isn’t so popular in the age of first person shooters and advances in technology, there is a simple and elegant quality to the genre that still makes it relevant in my eyes. Cyan Worlds, the original developers of Myst, has the same belief as they’ve brought their multi-million selling franchise to the iPhone.

The premise of Myst is mysterious by design. Upon starting up Myst and taking in the cryptic opening cinema, you end up on an island that appears to be the opus of some brilliant architect. Everything you’ll see from sprawling forests and crazy stairwells to gorgeous waters and meticulously crafted buildings will impress you. Why or what you’re doing in these environments, or “ages” as Myst calls them, is entirely up to you. Therein lies the draw of Myst, it’s a game to be figured out and discovered through interaction and exploration.

For those of you not too familiar with point and click adventures, movement is done through clicking a direction. There are things in the game you can press to trigger actions or events as well. As you may imagine, the iPhone’s touch screen provides the interface to faithfully capture the mechanics of Myst. The response felt good, and I wasn’t frustrated by any delays or lagging. Besides tapping, you can do finger swipes as well to initiate left or right turns. Overall, Cyan Worlds has done a perfect job with using the iPhone’s touch screen.

The art and sound in Myst are still impressive even 16 years after its original debut, which is saying a lot. While most of the visuals are static in nature, pre-rendered video is seamlessly integrated into Myst which brings the world to life. One cool iPhone-specific addition are some slick fades and scrolling animations that simulate 3D movement. For the Myst purists though, this can be disabled by way of the options screen.

As impressive as the art is, the sound shines brighter. As you traverse the ages of Myst, ambient noises fill the environments and further draw you into the world. While the use of a musical score in Myst is relatively infrequent, it sets the mood and vibe appropriately, just like the original.

For those of you that may be scared of tackling such an open and mysterious world, Cyan Worlds was wise enough to look out for you too. In its options menu, there is a “hints” link that sends you over to a mobile microsite for the game. You can select a specific area you’re on in the game, and in turn, you’ll have a whole library of questions and answers to some of the most common dead-ends. So if you’re not interested in figuring it all out by yourself, you have an excellent resource for information to go straight through the game.

Myst isn’t for everybody. If you’re the type that wants instant gratification doled out in bite-sized experiences, look elsewhere. On the flip side, if a sprawling and intriguing journey through an interactive world strikes your fancy, look no further. Congratulations to Cyan Worlds for successfully transitioning their flagship franchise to the iPhone. Now about Myst II…

app_name: Myst
rating: 9/10