#physics-based design

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Game of the week 3/8/13 -- Astro Shark

I'll admit that my recent posts have been very iOS-centric. But it’s not all my fault. If you’re an indie developer deciding how to allocate your limited resources, it’s easier to reach a larger, less segmented audience on the iPhone.  The Android market is so fragmented that it can be a technical challenge to reach a wide user base, and it's usually an obvious choice for smaller teams to release their games on iOS first.

But this week, I finally found a game that’s available on both platforms: Astro Shark, from London-based developer Unit 9.

Playing as a whale shark, the journey begins when your friend, a Russian space-dog named Laika, is kidnapped. So logically, it’s time to leave the ocean behind and go on a quest through space to find your missing friend. Makes perfect sense, right?

The premise may be odd (and why does your 'shark' look like a dolphin?) but the experience is totally addictive. Astro Shark makes use of a unique but intuitive one-button mechanic in which you use the gravitational pull of planets, asteroids, and various space debris to outmaneuver homing missiles as you propel yourself toward your goal. While the game seems easy in the early levels, the difficulty level ramps up quickly. And as you get the hang of the simple mechanic it’s tough to stop playing. Each level introduces new challenges, with some of the tougher achievements in later levels providing great replay value. 

As far as physics-based action games go, Astro Shark stands out, and it's the type of challenging quick-fix game you'll have on your phone for a long time.

R.I.Y.L. (recommended if you like) – Echo the Dolphin, Osmos, Wave Trip

Download on iOS here.

Download on Android here. 

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Game of the week 2/8/12 -- Stick to It

Sometimes all it takes to create an addictive game is an intuitive mechanic, some clever character design, and a straightforward physics-based concept. This week's game, Stick to It, may be simple in its overall design, but it does just enough to keep you entertained throughout 80 levels spread over 4 distinct worlds.

In its mobile debut, Magic Pixel Games has created the type of experience that feels just right on a touchscreen: a "one-button platformer" with puzzles that are simple enough to plow through, but difficult enough to be satisfying. In each level, the goal is to reunite Spike (a one-eyed, bucktoothed creature that most closely resembles a blowfish) with his mom. And as you progress through the different worlds -- Jungle World, Junk World, Ice World, and Lava World -- new types of puzzles are introduced to keep the action fresh.

From moving platforms to bouncy surfaces to conveyer belts, it's good clean fun. It may sound basic, but as I blazed through all 80 levels in one sitting, it became clear that more often than not, less is more.  

R.I.Y.L. (recommended if you like) -- Cut the Rope, Tiny Wings, World of Goo

Download here.