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?