FEZ Pocket Edition Will Change Your Perspective
November 20, 2020 by RSS Feed
FEZ Pocket Edition ($4.99) by Polytron is the official mobile port of the popular indie game that debuted in 2012 on Xbox Live Arcade. Due to the popularity of this indie darling, it expanded to other platforms after a yearlong exclusivity agreement. This is the game that primarily inspired other popular titles, such as Monument Valley.
If you've been paying attention to the gaming scene in the past few years, then you'll know that the Escheresque-style (inspired by M.C. Escher) puzzle platformer games have been on the rise. It really started to get popular with Monument Valley, but that had to get its inspiration from somewhere too, right? Well it did, and that was FEZ. This is the puzzle platformer game that started all of the shifting perspective styles that we see in other games, and it's finally available on mobile, after much anticipation. I bought FEZ a while back on Steam, but nothing beats having your favorite games in the palm of your hand while you're out-and-about.
Monument Valley
ustwo Games Ltd
Monument Valley 2
ustwo Games Ltd
Visually, FEZ Pocket Edition retains the same classic art style as the original game. This means blocky, voxel-style graphics (think similarly to Minecraft) and pixel art mixed together in one. That's because the game starts off with just 2D graphics, but then the story unfolds and things move into a 3D perspective. The character sprites themselves are always in pixelated, 2D form, which is fun to watch as things shift between 2D and 3D. The color palette in FEZ is bold and vibrant, but there are times at night when it's darker and more eerie. Animations are buttery smooth and fluid on my iPhone 8 Plus, so I experienced no issues with frame rate lag or choppiness.
Another thing about FEZ that is well done is the music and sound. The game contains a soothing, ambient and atmospheric soundtrack that immerses you into the game world. I recommend grabbing your favorite pair of headphones and sitting back with this game, because you'll lose a few hours with it. The sound effects are also nice, as they're rather quirky and charming. Overall, FEZ Pocket Edition retains the great visual and audio design from the original game.
In FEZ, players will find themselves taking the role of Gomez as he tries to live day-to-day life at home. However, he must embark on an adventure and soon gets a cute little fez, which grants him the power to see beyond the normal world, and even other dimensions that were hidden in plain sight. You'll eventually get a Navi-like cube guardian who helps you in Gomez's journey, providing you with tips and guidance on what you must do. However, it's pretty straightforward: find cube shards scattered in each area and gather them all to restore order to the universe.
Controls in FEZ Pocket Edition are simple and optimized for touch screens. In the bottom left corner is an on-screen D-pad with four directional buttons for going left, right, up, and down. The bottom right area of the screen has buttons for interacting with objects and doors, jump, and talk. It's pretty elementary stuff, and works well for the most part.
Once you get past the part in the story where you can shift perspective from 2D to 3D, then all you have to do is drag horizontally on the screen. This lets you move the camera around, and lets you see parts of the area that you wouldn't have thought about before. Shifting the perspective opens up many new paths that you can take to reach places you wouldn't have been able to before, and it's good to experiment and see what you can find. FEZ has secrets and hidden treasures as well, so it's important to explore every nook and cranny.
The only thing I didn't like about the controls is that sometimes it gets a bit tricky to make the jumps that are further out. I had a few moments where I thought I tapped on the right buttons but I end up falling short, because the buttons felt unresponsive. Fortunately, there's no penalty to dying in FEZ, and you get infinite lives, so it's not a big deal if you mess up. Just be warned, though, that it does take a bit of practice and timing to get some jumps right in FEZ Pocket Edition.
While I'm still pretty early on in the game, I am loving it so far. I have the game on my Mac through Steam, but I find having it available wherever I go much more enjoyable. The game is also beautiful, and the ever-changing perspective lets you see things that weren't always there. It helps hone your observational skills. It's a fantastic puzzle platformer game with a ton of things to discover, so if you've never played FEZ before, then there's no better time than now to start.
Fez has been ported to iOS to deliver classic 2D platforming with a 3D twist.
The Good
FEZ Pocket Edition brings the lovable FEZ to our mobile devices. Even though the game is several years old, it's still as delightful and charming as ever. The graphics have a unique style, especially as you shift the perspective around constantly. The music and sound is incredibly done, as it fully immerses and captivates you as you play. The controls work out well for what it's worth, and the amount of secrets to uncover in FEZ mean this is one title you'll want to keep coming back to.
The Bad
There's a lot to love about FEZ Pocket Edition, but it's not perfect. If you've played the game before, then there isn't much new content in the Pocket Edition to warrant another purchase. And again, the controls could be better optimized for jumping and reaching hard-to-reach spots, in my opinion. But hey, there's no penalty for dying, so it's not that big of a deal.
The verdict
FEZ Pocket Edition is a worthy addition to anyone's mobile game collection. The game's unique visual style is captivating and lovable, and the music is relaxing. For a multi-platform game that was ported over, the touch screen controls work well enough for most, and it's a pleasant experience overall. There are many secrets to find in FEZ, so there's always a reason to go back to previous worlds and find things you missed. Overall, FEZ Pocket Edition is well worth the money.
9.2
OVERALL
Sound/Music 10
Gameplay 10
Replayability 9
Graphics 9
Game Controls 8
FEZ Pocket Edition
Polytron Inc.
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Can You Really Become a Parenting Hero With an App?
November 20, 2020 by RSS Feed
From the title, you'd be forgiven for assuming that Parenting Hero is some sort of childcare-based take on the frantic, peripheral-based Guitar Hero video game series. I have no idea what that might look like, but fortunately, we don't have to find out because Parenting Hero is nothing like Guitar Hero.
In fact, it's not a game at all. Instead, it's a companion app for the best-selling parenting manual "How to Talk So Little Kids Will Listen: A Survival Guide to Life with Children Ages 2-7."
Created by developer MythicOwl in collaboration with the authors of the book, Joanna Faber and Julie King, it presents you with different parenting scenarios and challenges you to choose the right responses.
Whatever choice you make, the app will give you feedback, explaining why a particular course of action might be helpful or unhelpful in your quest to produce happy and cooperative children. Also, you'll get a chapter reference for the source book, so that you can read about the issue you've just tackled in more detail.
Parenting Hero is from a particular school of parenting that encourages cooperation and encouragement over rules and discipline. In other words, it's a parenting manual for our time, underpinned by jangly hipster laptop ad-style muzak and charming hand-drawn artwork.
The Good
Parenting Hero is split into four sections: Handling Emotion, Engaging Cooperation, Resolving Conflicts, and Praise and Appreciation. Each of these parts contains scenarios, totaling 15, all of them illustrated and animated.
Aside from choosing which scenario to play, your only point of interaction is to pick from three responses. For example, when your child falls over you can decide to dismiss it, chastise your child for being careless, or offer support.
Yes, it's always pretty obvious which reaction you're supposed to choose - and your phone vibrates admonishingly when you get it wrong - but this doesn't matter. The most significant effect of the app isn't to teach us how to say the right thing, but to make you reflect on the negative responses you might have given in the past, when you've been tired, frustrated, and stressed, as every parent often is.
If you make your selections honestly, Parenting Hero will explain how your child might have felt about some of the things you've said. As parents, we have to say the lessons felt authentic, and the whole thing simply served as a reminder to be patient, empathetic, and respectful, which is no bad thing.
Conversely, it's very encouraging when Parenting Hero's ideal solution to a problem is one that you've used as well.
The Bad
Inevitably, there are limits to how useful a set of specific scenarios can be, and the scripted conversations between parent and child are undeniably idealized. If you pick the right response, your child cooperates perfectly without anybody getting angry or having to resort to coercion.
Yeah, right.
How much the simplifications of Parenting Hero bother you will depend on how far you agree with its lessons. As a parent, I was receptive to the app's conclusions. However, I can envision those with strong feelings about the importance of rigid discipline, or who have children who just aren't as pliable as the examples here, getting irritable.
Speaking of lessons, it's a shame that the references at the end of each scenario are for chapters in a book rather than content that can be found online and navigated to with a tap on a link. Presumably, this approach is intended to drive sales of the book to parents eager to learn more, but it's unintuitive at the point of use.
The Verdict
Parenting Hero is charming and intuitive to use. Yes, it's quite expensive for an app that you can blow through in 30 to 40 minutes. Regardless, its lessons are backed up by serious research.
As parents, we can attest to its wisdom - at least when it comes to maintaining a positive relationship with a child who is already pretty well behaved.
Like any parenting manual, it won't provide any silver bullets, but it can at least give you some examples to reflect on whenever you're trying to resolve a situation without raised voices or tears.
7.8
OVERALL
iPhone Integration 9
User Interface 8
Is engaging 8
Does it well 8
Lasting appeal 6
Parenting Hero
MYTHICOWL SP Z O O
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The Bridge is a Lie in Bridge Constructor Portal
November 20, 2020 by RSS Feed
Bridge Constructor Portal ($4.99) by Headup Games is a licensed mashup of both the Bridge Constructor and Portal games. If you're a fan of either franchise, or just like physics-based puzzles in general, then you'll get a kick out of Bridge Constructor Portal.
In 2007, a little puzzle platformer game came out called Portal. It came bundled with The Orange Box, but became a standalone game later on. Four years later, Portal 2 came out. I had the original Portal game before the sequel and played through some of it, but it was Portal 2 that really got me into the series. I beat Portal 2 and even did some of the multiplayer missions before I was officially done with it, but it's always been on of my favorite games ever made. I've been hoping for a third Portal for years, but as of now, Bridge Constructor Portal is the only thing we have. So I'll go with it, despite not having played a Bridge Constructor game before.
Bridge Constructor
Headup Games GmbH & Co. KG
Visually, Bridge Constructor Portal looks beautiful, as it is full of familiar scenes from Aperture Science's test labs. The game is rendered in 3D, though the "new employees" are flat, generic figures. If you've played Portal games from before, then the bright white test rooms are sure to feel like home, and the soothing, ambient glow of the portals make you feel relaxed. Bridge Constructor Portal also has some of your favorite things from previous games, such as turrets and even GLaDOS herself (complete with Ellen McLain, the original voice actress), which is a good reason alone to buy the game. Animations are smooth and fluid with no lag on my iPhone 8 Plus. The atmospheric soundtrack is quirky like the previous Portal titles, and sound effects are delightful. While this is a spinoff game, it certainly brings together everything I love about Portal.
In Bridge Constructor Portal, since it's a physics-based puzzle platformer, it still uses a level system. The game has a total of 60 levels that are split up among six chapters. Players must go through each stage in linear order, so to progress, you'll have to be a good Aperture Science Labs employee and successfully complete each test. The goal? Build safe paths to get the Bendies across hazards, traps, and other obstacles in order to get to their vehicles and continue their work. It starts out pretty easy, but things start to pick up gradually. Let's just say...some thinking will be involved when you get to later stages.
Controls in Bridge Constructor Portal are pretty easy and intuitive. On each stage, you must build roads and ramps for vehicles to drive on to get to their destination. You have metal scaffolds and suspension ropes, which you can use to your heart's content by switching between the two on the left side of the screen.
For scaffolds, just build them from an orange anchor point. Then connect the other scaffolds together until it reaches where you need it to go. These scaffolds can be converted to roadways with just a tap and vice versa. Suspension rope can be connected from a scaffold anchor to anchor points above, and they are necessary to hold the scaffolds up so that they don't face gravity's wrath.
But what happens when there are no anchor points for suspension rope? When that happens, you'll have to use the metal scaffolding for suspension, in a triangle-formation. Just don't convert them into roads, and you're all good! If you make a mistake, just double tap on the item you want to get rid of.
The premise seems simple, but things get more intricate and complex later on, especially when famous Portal gadgets get added into the mix. For example, you'll have to have one driver hit a switch for others, and then there are the portals themselves, propulsion gel, aerial faith plates, cubes, sentry turrets, acid pools, laser beams, and much more. They all add a unique mechanic to the level and you'll have to work with or around them to succeed.
The classic bridge construction simulator is combined with a Portal theme.
The Good
Bridge Constructor Portal is a nice spin off of the Portal games, because it seems that Valve can't ever have a trilogy. For what it's worth, Bridge Constructor Portal is satisfying in its own right. The graphics are top notch, the music and sound effects are just as delightful as the original games, and Ellen McLain back as GLaDOS is fantastic. Controls are fairly simple for the touch screen, and the puzzles themselves are quite challenging.
As someone who's never played Bridge Constructor before, I'm actually enjoying this interesting combination, and I think it works well.
The Bad
Again, while Bridge Constructor Portal is a good game to get your Portal fix, this is not an actual Portal game, which is disappointing. And while the controls work out well, I think that this game is best played on an iPad due to more screen estate. I found myself constantly trashing pieces or stretching out old pieces instead of what I actually wanted to do, which got annoying. However, I also think that time and practice can fix that issue too, so it's doable on an iPhone screen, as long as you have some patience.
The verdict
As a Portal fan who will probably never see a "Portal 3," I think Bridge Constructor Portal will have to do. It's a fine mashup, really, but don't come in to this expecting a full on Portal game, because that's not what this is. It's a challenging puzzler that will test your problem-solving skills, with a Portal theme, essentially. As a newcomer to Bridge Constructor, this is fine by me. The game itself looks great, the music is delightful, and I'm just happy to hear GLaDOS' voice once again.
Bridge Constructor Portal is a great entry point to both Portal and Bridge Constructor and should be a game for any puzzle platformer fan's collection. You can find Bridge Constructor Portal on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for $4.99.
8.9
OVERALL
Sound/Music 10
Graphics 9.5
Gameplay 9.5
Replayability 8
Game Controls 7.5
Bridge Constructor Portal
Headup GmbH
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Don't Let the Forgotten King Be Left Behind in These Meticulous Puzzles
November 20, 2020 by RSS Feed
Forgotten King ($2.99) by Jan Hrnjak is a challenging and mysterious puzzle game involving medieval kings and dungeons. If you enjoyed games like Campfire Cooking and Mr Future Ninja, then you'll appreciate what Forgotten King brings to the App Store.
About 10 years ago, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass came out. It was one of my favorite Zelda games, and one of the few that I actually managed to beat without much help from other sources (aka my boyfriend). Even though I'm usually not a stealth fan, the parts of the game where you had to sneak past the Phantoms were fun, and I enjoyed them because they were puzzles in itself. With Forgotten King, memories of Phantom Hourglass come back to me because the gameplay is similar.
Campfire Cooking
Layton Hawkes
Mr Future Ninja
Appsolute Games LLC
Visually, Forgotten King is beautiful with the retro pixel art style that is fairly common in throwback games these days. Everything is rendered in 2D with bright and colorful hues. In the beginning of the game, as the story reveals itself, players will find an almost Disney-like fairy tale plot unraveling in a book, and it's lovely to read through. Animations are smooth and fluid, with no issues of lag or choppy frame rates on my iPhone 8 Plus. The game has a soothing, rather whimsical soundtrack that fits well with the fairy tale theme, and the sound effects fairly realistic. I mean, that sound of spikes coming up from the ground sounds believable to me, after all. Overall, the developer did a great job with the visual style and audio design.
In Forgotten King, players will find a chapter system for levels. However, at the moment, there is only the first chapter available, which has 18 stages (15 regular and three bonus ones). It may not sound like a lot at first, but the game itself is pretty tough, so it will take some time to get through this first set of puzzles, depending on your skill level. The developer has promised more chapters in updates, and it'll always be free. So if you manage to get through the first 18 stages of the game, there's more to look forward to.
In Forgotten King, you'll discover the tale of a King who once ruled the kingdom in a fair and just way. But there were four dark lords who reigned underneath the King's kingdom, and they eventually cast a spell that stripped the King of all power, his crown and throne, and locked him away in an eternal prison in the void.
Now this is where you, the player, comes in. Your job is to help the King through the deadly trials that await him, where he has to sneak past the patrolling guards, solve puzzles and figure out the mystery behind the Dark Lords. Only then will the King be able to have his spirit freed from their dark magic, and back to ruling his rightful kingdom.
Somewhere on each stage is a green gem. You have to grab it before you head to the exit door on the floor, because the gem unlocks it. There are also apples to collect, which you'll want to get if you want to do well. There's three stars to earn on each level, which is dependent on the number of deaths (you get three chances), apples collected, and reaching the door with the gem. The worse you do, the less stars you earn.
Controls in Forgotten King are simple, though a bit unique so it takes some time to get used to. Buttons that resemble bullseyes appear on the screen to indicate the direction that the King can move in. The King continues walking until he reaches a corner or an intersection, where you must then choose the direction you want to go in. Think of the buttons as a giant D-pad that shows up on the screen only when you can move in a certain direction, because sometimes only one, two, or three buttons appear.
Timing and precision is everything in Forgotten King. You need to figure out the right moment to make your move in order to not be stabbed to death by spikes from the floor or impaled by the guards. Your movement is very limited, so you'll have to observe first before moving. Observation is also key if you are a perfectionist and want to find every single secret in the game, as there are many hidden mysteries to uncover.
Like I mentioned before, the game may only have 18 levels right now, but these puzzles get tricky, and you may end up dying a lot (at least I am), so it will take time to complete. Granted, sometimes the puzzles get frustrating, but over time you learn what mistakes were made and end up avoiding the same error twice.
Forgotten King is a beautiful and challenging puzzle game that tests your timing, precision, and patience.
The Good
Forgotten King has a lot of good things going for it. The hand-drawn pixel art is incredibly well done and packed with detail, and the music by Fat Bard is excellent. Even though the puzzles can be a bit frustrating, I learned from my mistakes and just try again, so it clearly motivates you because they end up being so obvious. The controls are simple enough and work well for the restricted movement system of the game. I'm also looking forward to seeing the new chapters added with each update.
The Bad
While I like Forgotten King overall, I think the controls are a bit weird. I think having a simple d-pad in the bottom corner could have been enough, since the current control scheme has me reaching out with my thumb or finger on my iPhone 8 Plus screen. Perhaps the developer can consider optional touch screen controls in updates.
The verdict
I'm still early on in Forgotten King, but I'm thoroughly enjoying it so far. The puzzles themselves are meticulously crafted so that they're challenging, and a true test of skill. The vintage pixel art is also beautiful to look at, and the soundtrack is immersive. The controls work okay, but it would be preferable to have an option that lets one play the game with one hand on a larger device, I think. Still, this is a fun and challenging puzzle game that will test your patience.
8.6
OVERALL
Graphics 9
Sound/Music 9.5
Gameplay 9.5
Replayability 8
Game Controls 7
Forgotten King
Jan Hrnjak
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You Have to Go Fast in Sonic Runners Adventure
November 20, 2020 by RSS Feed
Sonic Runners Adventure ($2.99) by Gameloft is an action platformer game that serves as a nice homage to the classic Sonic games. If you enjoyed games like Super Phantom Cat 2, Mikey Shorts, and Le Parker: Sous Chef Extraordinaire, but want more high-speed action, then Sonic Runners Adventure is a perfect fit.
As a child, I remember having a SEGA Genesis console that I shared with my siblings. While I didn't have too many games, I remember having Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and playing it all the time. It was the game that made me a fan of the Sonic franchise, and I loved playing it and going fast as a blue hedgehog. I'm not sure if I ever actually beat the game, but I did replay certain areas often, always trying to do better than before. As the years passed, Sonic seemed to become less relevant compared to other games, such as the Super Mario Bros., so I didn't get them as much later on. But when I saw Sonic Runners Adventure on the App Store over the holiday, I didn't hesitate to pick it up.
Sonic The Hedgehog Classic
Sega America
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Classic
Sega America
Super Phantom Cat 2
Beijing Veewo Game Co., Ltd.
Mikey Shorts
BeaverTap Games, LLC
Le Parker: Sous Chef Extraordinaire
Play Pretend LLC
Visually, Sonic Runners Adventure looks amazing. The game is rendered in 3D that has a retro look and feel to it, similar to Horizon Chase. The different environments that are featured in Sonic Runners Adventure are bright, lush, and they bring back a sense of nostalgia for old-school fans. The character models are classic and also done in 3D, though some feel slightly off (like Sonic) for some reason. Animations in the game are smooth and fluid, with no issues of lag and choppiness on my iPhone 8 Plus. Sonic Runners Adventure features an upbeat and iconic soundtrack that is reminiscent of the original games, which just brings a smile to my face. Overall, the visual and audio design of Sonic Runners Adventure is a huge dose of fan service, and brings back a lot of memories for fans.
Like previous games, Sonic Runners Adventure is level-based, with different areas serving as chapters with a handful of levels each. To complete each world, there's a boss battle at the end before you can proceed to the next area. Each stage has a set of three objectives that can earn you stars, and at least one must be met in order to "complete" it. However, as some objectives can only be done with certain characters, there's a lot of replay value here. The objectives can include things like collecting a certain number of rings or defeating enemies, but they become more difficult (and the levels are lengthier) as you get further along.
The controls in Sonic Runners Adventure are simple and intuitive. Since the characters automatically run forward, you're just in charge of timing the jumps. To do this, just tap anywhere on the screen. If you tap twice, they'll do a double jump. The third tap lets your character do their unique ability, depending on their type. For example, Speed characters (Sonic, Shadow, etc.) get a third jump, while Fly characters (Tails, Rogue, etc.) will glide. There's also the Power characters like Knuckles, though I have not unlocked that yet.
If you've played Sonic games before, then you should know how it goes. Run, collect the rings, and defeat enemies by jumping on top or into them. When you get hit, you lose all of the rings you've collected so far, and if you have no rings the next time you get hit, then it's game over. So if you take damage, hurry and gather at least one ring to recover.
As I played Sonic Runners Adventure, I noticed that the game can be a bit grind-heavy. This is because you can collect a large amount of rings through each stage, and you're also awarded more rings upon completion. Plus, if you can get the rainbow ring on a stage, you get a bonus level where there's many rings to collect.
Your ring stash is important, as you can use it to continue on stages (good when you die a lot on a troublesome stage), buy other characters from Team Chaotix and Team Dark, buddies that enhance your character abilities, and boost items. Each character can also be leveled up by spending rings, and their abilities get stronger as they are higher in level.
Gameloft has partnered with Sega to bring an all new Sonic platformer to iOS.
Sonic Runners Adventure is a fantastic homage to the classic games from yesteryear. The graphics are stunning on the crisp Retina HD and Super Retina displays while retaining the vintage style. The soundtrack is nostalgic and delightful, along with the sound effects. The controls are super simple and optimized for touch screens, and there's a lot of replay value thanks to the objectives that require certain characters. A lot of content is available and there are no in-app purchases.
While there's a lot to like about Sonic Runners Adventure, it's not without some flaws. Fans of the previous game may be sad to see that there's no more randomized, infinite levels, and some levels can be incredibly difficult, resulting in a tough wall to climb. I've been stuck in the second world (the desert) area for a good while now, and it's rather aggravating.
Another thing I noticed is the fact that you can move so fast in this game that it's hard to see upcoming obstacles that you need to avoid. Because of this, you may have to play a stage numerous times, and hope you remember the layout and get your jump timing right at those tough parts. And while the controls work for the most part, sometimes it can feel unresponsive, or there's a delay, resulting in many frustrating deaths.
The verdict
As a big Sonic fan from the golden age of gaming, I think Sonic Runners Adventure does a lot of things right. The visuals and music take me back to my childhood, and the controls work well for what it's worth. It's also great that you have a wide variety of characters to choose from, including older ones.
However, I think the game gets a bit too difficult at times, especially the desert area. I've been stuck there for a while (I tried maybe almost 50 times) because one level was way too lengthy, the yellow of the desert made it hard to see some obstacles and enemies, and everything moving super fast doesn't help when you can't see clearly. I had to get help from my fiancé, who's much better at games in general, and even that took a few tries. The developer should do some balance tweaking, in my opinion, to make it a less frustrating experience.
Still, if you're a fan of Sonic games, or want fast-paced platformers, then Sonic Runners Adventure is a fine addition to your game collection. Sonic Runners Adventure is on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for just $2.99. There are no in-app purchases.
8.8
OVERALL
Replayability 9
Graphics 9
Sound/Music 9
Gameplay 9
Game Controls 8
Sonic Runners Adventure
Gameloft
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