App Review: Transformers 4

The newest Transformers film Transformers 4 brings back our autobot favourites Bumblebee and Optimus Prime and into a explosion filled invasion of earth. Like with many other cinematic releases nowadays there is a companion app game to the movie. Some of these are great successes like The Despicable Me 2 app Minion Rush. Often these apps are rushed and tend to be low quality. But how does the newest transformers app fare?

The game links itself nicely to the movie by including the movie storyline as a method of progression and narrative for this app.

Game Mechanics: This game is an action packed app where the player plays as one of the autobots and runs down a road shooting and bashing enemies off the road. Players can choose between two forms of attack, range and melee. Players also have two choices of how to move along the road, they can jump over obstacles of transform into a vehicle and speed down the road.

How is it different? The movement in the game is akin to endless runner games where the player must avoid objects. But this game adds a combat element to it giving it an edge on the competition. Many successful games draw on the mechanics of previous successful titles and evolve the mechanics by adding new elements. This game does this successfully and is one of the main reasons it jumped up in the app store charts this week.

Look and feel: This game has motion controls where the player tilts their mobile device to move the autobot from side to side. This is one of the few apps that I have tried which makes motion controls easy to use and effective.

Progression and levels – Each level takes a couple of minutes to complete and levels are laid out in a map-like format. Much like Bubble Witch Saga 2 or Angry Birds Epic. This gives the game a nice sense of progression. Unlike these games the map doesn’t have barriers which require purchases making it less of a pain for players and parents having their kids bugging them to make a small purchase.

Monetisation: This app is free, with micro-transactions. During levels players earn fuel for playing levels and power ups. These are consumed as the player plays different levels and this becomes an area of monetisation. Players can also upgrade and unlock new characters. To make this app more of a success the developers should have included the dinobots earlier in the game, who were prevalent in the movie trailer. This game has micro transaction purchases, but luckily they are not as in your face as in other games like Dungeon Keeper.

Verdict

This game has action packed gameplay and draws cleverly on the content from the movie to make an app which keeps the player coming back to play, start and select new missions. However I don’t think this game will continue it’s success beyond the film. As the film has not performed as well as the previous transformers movies it may have a detrimental effect on the apps success. I hope this doesn’t happen as this app is worth a try and the value you get for a free app is great.

App Review: Timberman (the new Flappy Bird?)

Gameplay screenshot

I know everyone watching apps nowadays is looking out for the ‘new flappy bird’ or just an app which will reach its successes. There have been many apps which have flown us by in the last few months, none which haven’t reached the heights of FB. But this app looks more likely than others to take the top spot.

Timberman made by Digital Melody the first thing we notice about this app is that looks-wise it is very reminiscent of Flappy Bird. Its pixelated graphics are nothing to shout about and it’s simple tapping controls take us all back to the controls of Flappy Bird.

Familiarity: This is very important for app success, hell it’s one of the reasons flappy bird was so successful. Players want something familiar, a twist on an old game is what makes user acquisition and activation so easy. Lets go through a few examples:

• Flappy Bird: With simple controls and a look which was very very close to Mario with the green pipes and grassed floor.
• Candy Crush Saga: Basically it’s the other popular match 3 game Bejewelled with candy and a few more power ups
• Jetpack Joyride: Takes after Canabalt and other infinite or endless runner games. They just added a power up and level up mechanic with stars and different obstacles.

All these games are just evolutions of what has come before, I’m sure you could draw a family tree and trace it all back to Tetris or Pong. But too much of a similarity can be very damaging and shorten the life time and success of your app. Just look at all the clones in the app store of successful games. So what makes Timberman like Flappy Bird, but better?

Like Flappy Bird or infinite runner games the player just need to get as far as they can. They have to chop down the tree without getting hit by a tree branch. These branches appear randomly on the left or right of the tree and players must swap sides of the tree to avoid them.

Controls: During the game the player must tap on the left hand side of the screen to make the Timberman cut from the left hand side of the tree or tap the right hand side of the screen to make him cut right. Again it’s simplicity makes it a winner, like Flappy Bird and candy crush a simple tap or swipe is all that is required of the player to continue.

Social: When first playing it asks you to log into your android account (I played on android, I assume something similar happens on iOS) and it also encourages you to share your score via twitter. This game has the extra viral link that Flappy Bird didn’t. Thus giving it potential to grow and grow with the teen market.

Monetisation: The app allows you to unlock new characters the further you progress. Players can also skip this by making a £0.79 purchase on the app store. The app also contains ads which it obviously draws revenue from. But are these ads too annoying as to drive people away?

Problems: The game will not be as popular as Flappy Bird or Candy Crush. Why? A few reasons:

One of the very annoying ads which pop up and interrupt gameplay

• The game requires urgency and concentration, the player needs to chop and chop fast if they want to go further than their previous record. This extra concentration makes this game less of a relaxing game or a game you might play on your down time (like CCS or the slow paced Flappy Bird). I can see players only giving it a few tries before giving up.
• The game has ads in it. This would be fine if they were just at the top or bottom of the screen during play like other free games. But unfortunately they appear up on screen and interrupt play. Recent research has shown that this can be fatal in driving people away from your app especially if the game isn’t very engaging.
• Too similar to Flappy Bird. It will draw crowds and it has done so but I don’t think this game has anything over Flappy Bird. It’s certainly an evolution from the frustrating little bird but not so far as to draw people for long. It needs a huge social following and a viral factor which will help it grow.

Verdict

This is a fun app and worth a download, you’ll soon find yourself addicted and comparing scores with friends. But how will it perform in the long term? This app will probably remain a success for a few weeks, but I cant see it going beyond that. We won’t be hitting play, start, select on apps in the future and saying “oh, I wonder if this is going to be the new Timberman”

But what do you think?

Top 5 apps in the app store this week

A few notable mentions for this week. We’ve seen some apps rise to the top of the app store knocking off such kings as Candy Crush and Flappy Bird remakes. So with thousands of apps out there it can be hard to find those great jewels within the charts. This list hopes to make it a bit easier for you. All apps on this list are free and are based around the Android app store but all exist in the iOS store also.

There’s something here for everyone! So play, start and select some of these for all your app needs.

 

1. Don’t Tap The White Tile

Price: Free

Currently at the top spot in the app store this strangely simple app has hooked a lot of us. The game is as simple as it’s name. Don’t tap the white tile. Players must tap the black tile at the bottom of the screen as fast as possible. Once a tile is tapped the whole row disappears and players must tap the next one. Sounds boring but it has hooked many app players this week. Try to beat your own score and those of friends in this simple but addictive puzzler. This game requires quick reactions to play. Despite it’s addictiveness I can’t see it lasting for long in the top spot.

Score: 7/10

 

2: Godzilla: Strike Zone

Price: Free

This is a great companion to the movie or an introduction for those who haven’t yet seen the feature film. You play as a soldier dropped into the city via HALO jump, you must land safely in the city amongst all the chaos and navigate the streets to get to civilians. All the while the treat of Godzilla hangs over you. See my full review here

Score 8/10

 

3: Plague Inc.

Price: Free

You may have played similar games to this online like Pandemic. If not this game is a morally questionable one. You play as a disease, your objective to destroy the human race. You must evolve the disease to help it reach new countries, battle a cure, and eventually kill the population of the world. Sounds horrible but is a fun game to play. It doesn’t require a great deal of attention so can be easily played on the way to work. You level up and can unlock many game modes and also save you game for later.

Score 9/10

 

4: Monster Busters

Price: Free

Claiming to be the most advanced match 3 game ever. As you guessed it’s a match 3 game. The game effects are very similar to Candy Crush and you will recognize some of the effects through matching 4 in a row and so on. Much like Candy Crush there are lives too, so don’t be surprised if there are micro-transaction pop ups which appear on screen. Levels are split on a tower based system (pictured). It requires players to have a Facebook account to play. The story feels more developed than Candy Crush too. If you love match 3 games this is the one for you this week.

Score: 8/10

 

5: Sonic Racing Transformed

This is a beautiful app from SEGA with mechanics like Mario Kart and Angry Birds GO it is a great. Players drive around the track racing others, picking up power ups and boosts and trying to beat the other racers. The graphics are great and the controls are quick and easy to pick up in seconds. For a free app I was quite impressed with the quality and is a definite top app of this week!

Score: 9/10

 

Let me know what your app of the week is in the comment section below.

App Review: Godzilla: Strike Zone

The newest incarnation of Godzilla due to hit cinemas soon there are people all over the world queuing up to see this epic movie with a stellar cast. With anticipations for the movie high Warner Bros have decided to release an app to accompany the movie. But the app isn’t as epic as the movie. But don’t let that put you off.

The free app is intentionally small with a key objective to draw more people into the Godzilla experience through a short of mobile advert. The app is fun to play and is more than just a marketing tool. The app has great visuals and the creators have chosen a good narrative to base the game on.

The player plays as one of the soldiers sent into the city in a HALO jump to rescue civilians from Godzilla and to protect the city from further destruction.

Acquisition – With an app based on a movie you would expect download times to take around 5 minutes but with this it was closer to 5 seconds. The player is immediately put into the action and play starts quickly. This makes the jump from starting to activation short. This speed is good but without a great deal of instructions it left this player slightly confused to begin with. When jumping from the aircraft the gameplay switches from 1st person to 3rd without warning which caused me to die several times thinking I was falling behind the characters I saw when in fact I was one of them. But this may be my issue.

Gameplay – the first mission is controlled solely by tilting the device. This works well for controlling the movements of the character while falling and using parachute. The narrative for the gameplay is well chosen and is clearly the point of the movie players would wanting a mobile game (obviously without ruining the plot of the movie). The gameplay brings reminders of Call of Duty and a little bit like playing a Cloverfield game. But that’s probably just the monster link here.

Mission are short, so don’t expect hours of play from this pocket sized Godzilla. Although short the levels are fun to play again but I doubt many players would keep it on their device for more than a week or so. However it has made me want to go see the movie more so maybe it has had the desired effect.

Once on the ground players must navigate a maze of broken streets while avoiding falling debris to rescue civilians.

Look and feel – The graphics are good, akin to PS2 quality. The soundtrack is also good. It is clearly taken straight from the oficial soundtrack and you get a few snippets of movie voiceover too to narrate your gameplay.

Social – At the end of each mission players have the chance to share a screenshot from their gameplay with friends via Facebook. A nice way to get friends interested and trying the game.

Monetisation – This game is FREE with no micro-transactions!! It also contains no adverts which is a pleasant difference from any apps in the app store which are crammed full of money making mechanics.

 

Verdict

This is a great free app and fun to play for a sort while, if you are a fan of first person shooters or military based games this is the app for you at the moment. Give this app a try if you are a fan of the film or are just considering watching it. It’s a nice short free app which won’t keep you busy for hours but will keep you hooked for a while. Although it won’t have me returning too much to the app it will have me playing starting and selecting the Godzilla movie.

 

Top 5 apps in the app store this week

With hundreds of apps out there it can be hard to sort the good from the bad. This list gives some help to apps which have recently been released which stand higher than the rest, if not in the charts but in quality. All apps on this list are free and are based around the Android app store but all exist in the iOS store also.

There’s something here for everyone! So play, start and select some of these for all your app needs.

 

1. Family Guy: The quest for stuff

 

 

 

 

Price: Free

This game is cleverly co-written by the creators of Family Guy and is the perfect app for any fan of the show. The game’s mechanics are very similar to Simpsons Tapped Out. Players create a town and fill it with characters and building through completing tasks.

Unlike Simpsons tapped out the humour is much better, characters and players level up and they have managed to add to the formula of Tapped Out and improved where the Simpsons failed .

Score 8/10

 

2. Moshi Monsters Village

 

 

 

 

Price: Free

Rising high in the Play Store this week this is a great little app for kids. Players help moshi monsters and moshlings by building houses, farming, playing little mini-games and taking care of moshlings. The gameplay is similar to Farmville or other ville games. The mini-games make it more fun and less of a drag having to wait for tasks to be completed. Just like the online game players choose their monster and start collecting and playing with moshlings.

This game is like an app version of the online game but with less interaction between live players and a much simpler version of the game. The app loses nothing in terms of story and look. Its still a happy, bright, and exciting place for kids to go. Players expand their moshling collection by rescuing moshlings in danger. Full review coming up!

7/10

 

3. Cut the Rope 2

Price: Free

This great little app is smaller than all the others on the list but no less fun. It takes the original formula of Cut the Rope and adds fun cartoons, new characters and new ways to play. For a full breakdown see my review here

Score 9/10

 

4. The Walking Dead Season 1

Price: Free

If you haven’t played this game yet or seen reviews of it online from people like PewDiePie then you need to know this is a great game. The app has fantastic graphics and is not diminished in quality by going to mobile, even on a phone the game looks good. This game packs a punch with story.Games from TellTaleGames always have a strong story.

This game has it’s scary moments so it isn’t for kids or the faint hearted. Players must survive as Lee through the zombie apocalypse, by meeting new people and learning who to trust, how to defend yourself and who to save.

Score 9/10

 

5. Tiny Death Star

Price: Free

Although this came out a few months ago it still stands as a good app and has lost none of its charm over time. Players must create a death star but through unconventional means. You must help Vader and the Emperor to fund building more levels by renting homes, building eateries, building shops. It sounds a bit girly but it’s a great app for any star wars fans with familiar characters, story elements, and humour. It’s easy to get hooked and want to build more and more levels to unlock your favourite characters and create a bigger and better Death Star

Score 8/10

 

Let me know what your app of the week is in the comment section below.

App Review: Cut the Rope 2

With this sequel it seems as though Zeptolab behind Cut the Rope are trying to create a fuller brand full of new
characters, depth of storyline and a better game than the original. Obviously there are other sub games to the franchise like Cut the Rope: Experiments but this is the first to return to the original game and add upon it significantly.

The first Cut the Rope game saw great success and it allowed the game to expand into new levels and make the game a noticeable brand in the app store. Cut the Rope 2 expands this further and gives a game which has more personality and fun than the original.

Downloading and first time play – Downloading the game was fast and generally this app is very quick due to its small size. Loading screens only take a few seconds compared to larger apps like Injustice and Tiny Death Star.

The game is introduced with a mini cartoon which shows Om nom the green happy faced character looking discernibly sad as his candy hoard is stolen away from him and the pieces are scattered around different areas. This game is a physics puzzler with great simplicity which gradually increases.

This makes acquisition and activation very short and allows the player of any age to pick up new skills and techniques to get the candy to Om noms mouth.

Gameplay – The gameplay is very simple, so simple it could be played with one hand and simple swipes or taps on the screen are all that is needed for control. Gameplay is relaxed so you won’t find yourself rushing or furiously tapping your smartphone or tablet.

How is it different from the last one? – There are several additions which make this game markedly different from the last game. Notable additions are:

• New characters which help reunite Om nom with his candy pieces
• Cartoon mini episodes called Om nom stories – they operate as a method of introducing new characters

• Purchasable power ups which allow players to complete the levels in any way they choose
• Each level has 3 challenges – 1 to collect all stars, 1 to collect fruit, and 1 unique challenge to the level

 

Look and feel – The graphics in a cartoon style are very smooth and the bright colours give a nice look. Bright colours help discern different characters and game elements.

Progression and levels – Levels are displayed in a map format like app games like Candy Crush, giving the game a nice sense of progressions. On the level map are several barriers. But don’t worry payment or social connection isn’t required simply completing enough levels is all that is needed.

Monetisation – Micro-transactions are present but it is far from necessary. The game is generous is its gifting of coins for level completion. These allow players to purchase hints or power ups to help players complete levels. Players can watch Cut the Rope mini cartoons to earn coins or watch ads to earn coins as well. All of which are unlocked as the player progresses through the map.

There is also an ‘energy’ system like with other game like Candy Crush or Angry Birds GO which prevents players playing for long periods or trying a level too many times. This restricts gameplay which can be irritating and is of course an attempt to get the player to buy more energy. But this is the only down side to the game.

 

Social – There is a simple optional Facebook connection button to allow you to compare yourself to your friends.

Verdict

This app is tons of fun, it’s gameplay is simplistic and the gradual difficulty curve allows anyone to pick up and play in seconds. The Om Nom Stories add a great fun new element to the app and make earning extra coins a joy and not an expense. Obviously there are micro-transactions but all are far from necessary to continue gameplay. This app is sure to keep many adults and children pressing play, start and select on this game for a long time.

But what do you think?

 

App Store Rage Games: A New Trend

The two biggest app games of the past few months are clearly Flappy Bird and Candy Crush. Both succeeded due to simple short burst gameplay which leaves the player frustrated because they were ‘almost there’ whether this was through running out of moves in Candy Crush or just hitting the pipe in Flappy Bird.

What do these games have in common I hear you ask. It’s the frustration factor or rage games as many of you may know them. There are several unfair rage games on the market which give the player an impossible task which seems easy but the game mechanics are bent against the player to the Nth degree like the Impossible Quiz or Cat Mario. Often these games are spread through youtubers like PewDiePie. Candy Crush Saga and Flappy Bird on the other hand have managed to veil this difficult task and set the parameters of the difficulty at a level which causes the player to end the level with a fail but leave them with a feeling that they could easily beat the level.

The Impossible Game

These games have now set a new trend in the app store. Rage games. These games have ‘oh so simple’ controls which may just be the tap or swipe of the screen but a difficulty level which causes the player to end a level with a fail but a desire to continue. Their short burst gameplay also helps with this meaning that trying again doesn’t take too long and a fail can be almost meaningless, but a success to mean so much more. A new game to recently hit the market running is The Impossible Game which again uses simple controls but precision and timing are key to success, thus driving frustration.

The parameters set in these games are carefully chosen to be at a level which mean the player only misses out on success by a pixel or a misplaced move. Whether this is through obstacle generation, gap between pipes or moves allowed for a level.

In-app advertising in Flappy Bird

Tighter controls over in-app purchases and complaints to the app stores flying in from games which seem to cheat players out of money, or drive them towards monetisation instead of gameplay like Dungeon Keeper have meant that monetising an app is harder than ever to navigate well. For these rage games it may mean that they will never be as successful in monetisation as Candy Crush and many will just be free to play. Despite this app developers can still see a good return in in-app advertising just like Flappy Bird did.

With hundreds of clones popping up all over the marketplace this game type looks to soon evolve into game with more longevity and possibly more rage. We are clearly moving away from the genre of games with consumables and ones where players must grow crops or build a city. So for the time being we shall have to endure playing, starting and selecting some lazily made app rage games which in their simplicity and difficulty drive us to distraction. While waiting for some truly good app games to hopefully delight us in the spring.

App Review: Lego City My City

Join the city’s finest to save people in need, catch criminals and race around the city. This new app game from Lego brings the world of Lego city to mobile and gives a taste of what can be found in full pc and console Lego City games. Having played other great Lego games in the past like Alpha Team and the Lego Batman games I had high hopes for a mobile game. A couple of years ago I installed Lego Creating game on android and was pleased with its simple and easy gameplay. Happily this game is easy to play too but in some cases leaves the player wanting more, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Acquisition – The game was quick to download and it immediately puts the player into the city without a tutorial or explanation of that to do. Without this it makes the game slightly harder to understand in terms of what buttons do what and what the aim of the game is. However once the player learns how to open one mini game the game is easily understood, thus making the entry barrier low. The player’s presented with an overview of the city with each of the 7 mini games based in different areas of the map.

Level system

What is it? – This game is series of mini games each based around one of the city departments: Police, Fire department, coast guard, postal service, roadside recovery. And just for fun they’ve added in a racing circuit too. The game is well suited for its target market of kids and bright and colourful graphics. The mini games have 3 levels and reaching the next level requires repeat play of the game of several different levels (see image right) Each mini game starts with a mini movie to put the player into a little story where they have to catch the robber, put out the fire or rescue the people in boats.

These mini movies are comedic, fun and have excellent graphics. It would have been nice to see a different storyline each time the player levels up on a mini game as the mini movies just repeated which can get boring after seeing it 9 times. The level ends with a fanfare which helps give a form of reward to the player for their play and encourages them to try again.

Level system – The level system gives the game some longevity and each new level is increasingly difficult, therefore this game requires some concentration but quick burst gameplay. This quick burst gameplay means that this game is easily picked up and put down.

Gameplay – The controls are simple to understand and involved either a touch or tilt control system which can be

altered on pausing a level. Pausing the level also gives shot pictographic explanations of the controls. These simple controls also help give the game a low entry barrier making it perfect for kids. With levels getting increasingly difficult it makes the player have to use some skill to traverse the road or catch the robber before time runs out or the fire gets out of control. The controls are very sensitive so precision and careful movements are vital to completing the harder levels.

Issues – Some levels did not work on my mobile phone and did not render some of the graphics which will hopefully be fixed soon or may be just an issue with my device.

Monetisation – Happily this game has no micro-transactions and no consumables meaning that the player can play

the mini games to their hearts content. Playing levels does earn Lego studs (coins) but after playing the game and searching online there seems to be no function to these apart from being a reward for gameplay. This game also doesn’t have any social media aspect to it which again is appropriate for the age group.

Progression – The player does receive a sense of progression in going up star levels and gaining more coins but it doesn’t seem fully developed. Further developments to the story would help with players sense of progression and would help improve retention as currently there is not much drawing the player back to the app apart from the games

This game has a lot of potential, but not all of this has been realised yet. This app is just mini games and playing one over and over can get a bit tedious after a while. But for kids I’m sure this will be a hit, and with this being an app it may just be a vehicle to get them interested in other Lego City game. As a kind of demo for these other games it works perfectly. Additions we would like to see are more mini games which could be easily added to the map and some way that the player can build. What you expect from a mobile app game based around a construction toy is the ability to build.

The Verdict

This is a fun, bright and well made app, perfectly suited for children and parents seem to love this app too. It has potential for expansion in many way but as a starter game for kids looking to expand into other Lego games it is perfect. It suits this role of taster for other Lego titles perfectly and does it in a great way. Although it doesn’t have this gamer returning, but I’m sure it has many children continually press play, start, select on this great app.

But what do you think?

App Review: Flappy bird – Flap flap flapping into your life

Flap…Flap, flap flap flapflap flap…flap…flap. Flappy bird has this week bulldozed its way up the app charts reaching the number one spot on the charts on both android and iOS beating knocking the giant which is Candy Crush Saga and other King titles off the top spot. But why is this game so successful?

Game Mechanics: The game is very simple you play as a bird who flaps its wings every time you tap on the screen. Players have to navigate the flappy bird through obstacles which resemble the green pipes seen in Mario Games. That is it. With such a simple control system it has allowed this simple game from publisher Gears to be picked up and played almost instantly. It simplicity makes the entry barrier as low as can be and the small app makes installation a 2 second job. Players efforts are scored and a different coloured medal is earnt for players reaching a certain score milestone eg. silver at 20.

Random: the obstacles generation of pipes which you have to pass between is random. Making the game more difficult and giving the player the sense that they could reach a higher score next time around if luck is on their side.

Simplicity: It’s simple in terms of controls,  monetisation (because there is none), downloading (because its small and free) and gameplay.

Frustration and competition: The key elements which have allowed this game to rise. Players are scored by the number of obstacles they manage to pass, and believe me they are simple to pass but often you’ll find yourself getting annoyed because you tapped the screen one too many times and your flappy bird has hit the pipe. Candy Crush Saga nailed this too, balancing randomness with frustration at the player just missing out on their goal makes the player want to play again to beat the game immediately. Happily with flappy bird there are no lives and no in-app purchases allowing player to play to their hearts content.

Competition comes through the scoring system and players being able to lord their high score over their friends. I even found myself doing this this weekend with my girlfriend, causing us both to be playing at the same time just to reach a score the other couldn’t surpass.

Quick burst gameplay: The game is very easy to play and can be easily picked up and put down. The shot burst gameplay caused by players inevitably dying and retrying the level means it can be played in those little gap moments in our lives. Like when you’re waiting for a bus or on the train.

No in-app purchases: With no in-app purchases this game doesn’t look to be one of the highest earners for Gears but with in-app advertising at the top of the screen. They may just have a quick winner here like Rovio did with their early in-app purchase free Angry Birds.

Familiarity: With a look similar to Mario especially with the pipes and background and coupled with simple controls like those in Jetpack Joyride and other side-scrolling infinite runners it gives a familiar and comfortable feel for new players.

 

Verdict

This game is addictive beyond belief and due to its simple nature of gameplay it looks to be a winner. But will it last? Will this game be just a flash in the pan for the publisher and be gone by next month. Only time will tell, but for now it’s easy and frustrating gameplay has at least for a while made it a winner for many mobile gamers, keeping them playing starting and selecting this title above the greats in the app gaming world.

But what do you think?

App Review: Jelly & Pie

The Jelly Pie books are a bunch of books all about the adventures of funny larger-than-life characters including Mr Gum, Ellie May, and Moon Hare. Jelly & Pie are two characters created by publishing company Egmont to personify this group of books. The app is available free on Android and iOS, but what is it really like?

The Jelly & Pie app follows these two characters who live together, one literally sitting on top of the other, as seen in the picture (left). But in this app the two characters Jelly and Pie have been separated and it’s the players job to run and jump around as Jelly to rescue pie from a purple squid character.

Gameplay – The game is set out in a platform game format like Mario or Sonic. The playable character Jelly is constantly running so it is your job to make him jump over obstacles and avoid falling through holes, or bumping into smelly jellies to reach Pie who waits at the end of every level. Making Jelly jump is very easy, it simply involves tapping the screen, the longer the tap, the longer the jump. Players try to collect jelly cubes while jumping around and at the end of each level their score is rated on a 5 star scale.

Progression – The game is based around this simple story of reuniting Jelly and Pie which gives the game a structure and with cut scenes in-between some levels it helps keep the player engaged with the story and not just the gameplay. Only 12 levels are available to play but these levels should keep you entertained for a while. As you progress the levels get harder and they take quite a few tries to complete which is effective at keeping you replaying.

The easy controls make it a simple game for children to play and very easy for them to pick up as there is really only one control to the game. The simplicity makes the journey from install to playing and completing levels very short.

Look and feel – the game has a nice simple look to it with warning signs marking out dangers and fun cartoon images and effects which work well. The music and sounds are also good, before some levels there is a cut-scene of the story which involves character voices and the music is very catchy. Even I found myself humming the gameplay song to myself after playing.

Monetisation – The app is free and includes no in-app purchases so there’s no worries there. The game also doesn’t have any limited resources like lives or energy which stop you from playing, so happily players can play to the hearts content. Many parents get concerned or are put off by in-app purchases so not including them is a smart idea for acquisition of the game.

Return Loop – There isn’t really anything in the game which tries to get the player to return to the game every day or even twice in a day. It’s very casual and so may not engage some players to the point of returning to play instead of moving on to the next app. Also when returning to the app it immediately starts the player at level 1 again instead of jumping ahead to where they were in the level progression or to a level map like Angry Birds or Candy Crush Saga. Improving this may help improve player retention and engagement as young players may think they have lost their progress, and after all this is probably who the game is aimed at.

Level completion screen including score and 5 star rating

Levels are mapped out and a star rating score is achieved for each level which helps improve return play if players haven’t got the full 5 star rating.

Referral – there is not social connection in this game which is appropriate for the age of the target market. The app does encourage links to the Jelly & Pie website at Jelly Pie Central. During the game players have to try and collect a bonus golden jelly cube which will grant them a secret code to put into the website in return for a joke. This is a clever idea to direct the kids to the site and introduce them to the books and the games on the website. I felt that the app while being a fun game was trying to direct the player to the site to explore some more.

Difficulty – The difficulty of the levels increased gradually and even caused me to have to replay the levels over and over before eventually winning. Hopefully more levels will be introduced in updates with a slightly varied gameplay, as athough fun I think further levels should change things up a bit.

 

Verdict

A very nice simple app which will hopefully keep kids returning to reunite Jelly & Pie. The simple controls make it a very easy game for kids to pick up and it is appropriate for any age. The lack of in-app payments and the app being free make it an app which has parents sighing with relief as many apps nowadays include limitations to play or in-app payments which can be a constant annoyance for parents and kids alike. This app may even get parents playing starting and selecting the levels for a go at reuniting Jelly & Pie.

But what do you think?