AppReviewToday- All

Sparkwave (Free) by Crescent Moon Games is a fast-paced hex-style twitch reflex arcade game. If you enjoyed games like Pivvot,

HEX:99, and SHREDD, then you will get a kick out of Sparkwave. Be warned — these twitch reflex games are definitely not for the faint of heart.

Ever since Super Hexagon, I’ve fallen in love with the challenge of the twitch reflex genre, and while they can be infuriating most of the time, I still keep coming back to them. I think that the mobile platform is perfect for the genre, due to the simplistic controls provided by touch screens and the fact that a lot of games are best enjoyed in short bursts throughout the day. Whenever I have a few moments to spare, I like being able to pick up my phone, launch a twitch reflex game, and test my reflexes for a few minutes at a time. For me, it’s fun and it’s rather nice when you’re able to best your own previous high score because you’ve been doing better at the game over time. That’s why twitch reflex games will always have a spot on my iPhone, so when I heard that Crescent Moon Games was coming out with a new addition to the genre last week, I had to check it out myself.

Sparkwave, like many other games in the genre, features a gorgeous, minimalistic art style that looks sharp and crisp on Retina screens. While the game starts out with a dark colored background with light specks that represent stars, the colors change as you get further along the tracks. The background colors range from darker tones to more vivid hues, but they all have rather nice color gradients that go together seamlessly. In the foreground will be hexagons of many different sizes that appear as you move, forming a trail for you to follow in your spark-covered ship. Even though there can be many colors appearing on the screen at various times, your ship will always be recognizable due to the bright, contrasting color. Animations in Sparkwave are smooth and fluid, which is absolutely necessary for a twitch reflex game, of course. There is a quirky EDM soundtrack that is fun to listen to, and will appeal to fans of the EDM genre. Sound effects add a nice finishing touch to the game’s audio package.

As with most twitch reflex games, Sparkwave only has one game mode, and it is essentially an endless run to see how long you can survive. The objective is to fly as far as you can without hitting annoying obstacles (dark tiles) that show up along the way. The game moves quickly, and the track will form as you go, so it can be rather unpredictable at times, especially when you encounter random angle shifts that change the direction of the entire path, forcing you to react rapidly. There are crystals to collect along the way, which can be used to purchase additional spark colors for your ship, or some booster items from the shop. Since the game is free, it does show ads every now and then between runs, and you get five free continues per day at the cost of watching a video ad. If the ads bother you that much, you can always opt to get the in-app purchase for removing ads.

Controls in Sparkwave are simple enough: tap the left half of the screen to steer your ship to the left, and tap the right half to go right — you will move forward automatically. You can do short taps to move just a little bit, or hold your finger down to move continuously in that direction. But since the track moves rapidly and can shift position at any time, I would recommend sticking with quick, short taps for better control.

I’ve only spent a short amount of time with Sparkwave so far over the weekend, but I’m finding it to be an enjoyable twitch reflex game when I need my fix. The visuals are sleek and gorgeous, the music is fun, and the fast-paced gameplay means it’s addictive and challenging at the same time. However, if you’re the type of person who will rage quickly at these types of games, then it probably isn’t something you need to go grab, but if you want a challenge test of reflexes then it’s a great addition to your collection. I just wish that the game was a bit less ad-heavy and didn’t have restrictions on the number of continues you’re allowed per day. I’ve also noticed some crashes after viewing an ad to continue, which is annoying and can be frustrating, so hopefully the developers fix that in the near future.

Despite the minor flaws, Sparkwave is a delightful game for fans of the twitch reflex genre. You can find Sparkwave on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for free with in-app purchases.

Source link: http://appadvice.com/reviews

Waste in Space – Endless Arcade Shooter (Free) by Marco Tormento is an endless arcade shooter that also throws in ragdoll physics into the mix for a unique and hectic game that will keep you busy for some time. If you enjoy being out in space, ragdoll physics, and shooting up garbage, then this game is the right mix for you.

Even though I’ve gone through hundreds of iOS games in the past several years, some of the ones that I just keep coming back to are endless arcade games because, well, they are just downright tons of fun. These are the games that you can pick-up-and-play at any time, even if it is just a few moments to spare, and you can put them down just as easily when needed. These are not lengthy games, so they’re perfect for playing in short bursts throughout the day, and that’s always something I’m looking for in a mobile game. Plus, having a sense of humor doesn’t hurt either. So when the news of Waste in Space hit my inbox a week ago, I was intrigued because it combined pretty much everything I would want in a mobile arcade game.

The graphics in Waste In Space are a bit crudely drawn, giving it a jagged, cartoonish aesthetic that reminds me a bit of “South Park.” Despite the rough look, the animations are fairly smooth and fluid, which is always necessary since there is plenty of ragdoll physics involved here. The background color is always going to be rather dark, considering that you’re out in space, but the asteroids, floating bits of trash, coins, and the space station that you launch out from are all bright and vivid, contrasting nicely with the dark and cold reaches of space. The upbeat and quirky soundtrack is fun to listen to, and will help lift your mood for such a fun and lighthearted game. The sound effects are a nice touch too.

With Waste In Space, there is only one game mode and the goal is to swing through the asteroids and shoot the trash before they fall down onto Earth. I mean, yeah, sending all the garbage on the planet into orbit in space will get rid of it for now, but that stuff has got to come back down at some point, right? And that’s exactly what’s happening in Waste In Space. You get points for each piece of trash that you manage to destroy, with the larger ones nabbing you more points, of course. Other ways to earn points involve doing sick tricks and performing combos to maximize the points earned, and there is a ranking system with missions to complete in order to level up. You get some nice rewards for completing these tasks, so always make sure to look them over and strive to achieve them during each run.

The controls in Waste In Space are simple and intuitive, requiring just one touch on the screen to do anything. To make use of your character’s grappling hook, just tap-and-hold on the screen to latch on to the nearest asteroid. When you see pieces of trash floating around, just do quick taps on the screen to shoot and destroy them. Your ammo supply is finite, though, so you’ll have to try to acquire more along the way. If you have a boost power-up item, just slide your finger across the screen to activate it.

In addition to the trash floating around space, there are coins that you can collect as well. These coins are also earned by watching videos (it’s a free download, after all) and daily gifts, similar to games like Crossy Road. The coins are used to get prizes, which can be either new characters or gravity hats, both of which have their own special attributes. So not only do new characters and hats change your aesthetic, but they also change up the gameplay a bit.

I’ve only spent a little time with Waste In Space so far, but I’m enjoying the game quite a bit. The visuals are cute and humorous, the music is catchy, and the intuitive controls are super easy to pick up, but can be difficult to master. The gameplay is fun, crazy, and challenging, so you’ll always be coming back to the game in order to try and best your own scores. This is just a lighthearted game that anyone can enjoy, and it also has a nice lesson — that trash isn’t really going away just because you send it up to space.

I recommend giving Waste In Space a try if you’re looking for a fun time wasting arcade game this week. You can get Waste In Space – Endless Arcade Shooter on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for free with in-app purchases.

Source link: http://appadvice.com/reviews