games mobile good

his is the game that brought me back to mobile gaming

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Hey everyone, it’s been a while, eh? I won’t lie, I’ve lost interest in mobile gaming over the past year or so, and thus my contributions to TouchGen have been practically non-existent. Interestingly, the last game that really glued me to my iPhone before my long hiatus was Rayman Jungle Run. You might remember that this game won our iPhone Game of the Year award last year along with several other wins and nominations. It’s not surprising then that Rayman Fiesta Run is the title that has rekindled my excitement for mobile games, and for good reason.

Fiesta Run sticks to the core mechanics of the original game. This is not an infinite runner like Temple Run or Jetpack Joyride, but instead is made up of a series of platforming levels, each with an end goal. The game let’s you control the limbless Rayman as he jumps, glides, and punches his way through a huge number of thirty to sixty-second stages. The controls are tight, the artwork is beautiful, and the animations are a joy to watch. That said, what makes this game better than it’s predecessor are the various improvements and additions – one of which I never thought I would ever praise for a paid mobile title: in-app purchases.

Remember those cute little Lums that you had to collect in Jungle Run to complete a level? You still have to collect 100 of them like before, but now you can spend them to buy power-ups at the beginning of each stage.  These power-ups can be extremely helpful when you become frustrated with the difficulty of a certain stage and want to get through it with varying levels of assistance. There are hearts that let you take a couple extra hits from enemies, punch gloves that let you shoot destroy objects or enemies from across the screen, and even an upgrade that draws a path in front of you to show you how to grab all the Lums you can. If you’re preparing to write an angry comment as you read this, hold on! These upgrades are completely unnecessary if you don’t want to use them. On top of that, they are quite reasonably priced using Lums (the in-game currency) if you do.

I’m around 90% finished with the game (getting 100 stars on both the first and second versions of each level) and I have yet to use a single power-up other than for testing purposes. Even if you wanted to use the power-ups, you probably won’t need to actually purchase any Lums in-game (which are priced at $.99, $1.99, or $2.99 for packs with increasing amounts). In fact, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was immediately gifted 4,000 lums from owning the original Jungle Run game, no strings attached. I’m currently sitting at around 9,500 Lums, meaning I would have 5,500 Lums on my own even without that bonus. Aside from power-ups, you can also use Lums to buy new playable characters (they are strictly cosmetic) and mobile wallpapers. I applaud Ubisoft for creating a game that doesn’t even remotely punish paying customers for not buying in-game items. They are there if you want to use them, and that’s it.

The other great addition to Rayman Fiesta Run provides some good incentive to complete each level with all 100 Lums intact. When you do this, a special “invaded” version of the original level will unlock. This version features far more enemies and different paths to take, and are generally exponentially more difficult than their original offering. As someone who dedicates to “5-starring” or “100 percenting” games, these levels provided a welcome challenge. In general, the progression in Fiesta Run feels more fluid and interesting than the original game. Each level you beat will reveal more of the world map, thus unlocking new levels, new characters, new artwork, and even packs of free Lums along the way.

It’s rare that a game, especially one that introduces in-app purchases, can improve itself on practically every way, but Rayman Fiesta Run does just that. It’s still a gorgeous game that now offers a healthy helping of more difficult levels for those who want a challenge. If you’re a casual player who needs a bit of help, help is waiting for you, probably without having to pay a dime. But if you’re like me, and welcome the thrill of defeat over and over again as you learn each new level until you can gloat in a satisfying 100% score, than there’s no need pay anything past the price of admission. No, you don’t need to grind. You just need to learn each new level like any platforming game from today or 25 years ago. It’s fun, it’s beautiful, and it’s ultimately refreshing in a market where both free-to-play and premium games are shoving in-app purchases down our throats. Rayman Fiesta Run is looking to keep our yellow-haired friend in the TouchGen awards for a second year, and you can be damn sure it deserves whatever it wins.

Lego The Lord of The Rings Review

Top of The Blocks

Lego has handled all the big franchises in recent times: Batman and Robin, X-Men, Star Wars, Harry Potter and of course, the famous Legends of Chima: Laval’s Journey. Hmm, perhaps not the last one.

Whatever. The point is that if a blockbuster film, book or other type of media exists, Lego will be there to put their spin on it, and with Lego The Lord of The Rings, they’ve done it again. Except without actually spinning.

Lego The Lord…look, let’s just agree to go with LTLOTR shall we? (And even that’s a mouthful). It’s the iOS version of the game based on the epic movie trilogy, based on the Nintendo DS game, based on…I don’t know, base jumping or something.  Base, base, base. If you’ve touched anything with the word ‘Lego’ on it in the past five or six years – other than actual Lego of course- you’ll know exactly what you’re getting: a mixture of platforming, action and puzzling. There isn’t anything groundbreakingly different here from past Lego titles (although there is a lot of ground breaking), but it’s a solid plat-actioner nonetheless.

As you take control of a variety of major and minor characters from the LOTR , you toddle around Middle Earth through a story featuring great cut scenes that always had me enthralled, but none of which I fully understood. I know to die-hard LOTR fans, the entire legend is as simple as understanding a McDonald’s menu, but unfortunately, I was lost somewhere just past the first seven seconds. Don’t be offended, as cut-scenes go, that’s pretty good for me.

Each level is full of environmental puzzles which are almost the Lego series hallmark by now – you’re switching between two characters at any time, and each of their different abilities must be utilised to help you progress, as well as searching for cues from the environment itself. Many a time I was stumped about how to continue, until I spotted some platform or lever or beaver I had ignored in my previous 45 minutes running round in circles wondering if video game reviewing was actually my calling. Forget the beavers by the way. Once you’ve moved on, another puzzle presents itself, then another, then another and just as  you find yourself suffering from puzzle fatigue, some orcs conveniently pop up for you to bash. How thoughtful.

Controls can be a bit unintuitive – to switch characters you tap the icon at the top of the screen, then select your player from another list at the bottom. Fair enough, but why not just tap the player directly? And casual controls involve swiping up with two fingers to make your character jump. That gets the finger from me, and not the index one.

Trying to negotiate your way across a narrow rocky path over a river of lava, or  find your way successfully around a cliff face are simply precarious with the twitchy movement on offer. As you inch your way forward rather than bounding like an intrepid adventurer, I guarantee 67% of all your deaths playing this game will be from falling to your death. And yes, I understand that negotiating your way across a narrow rocky path over a river of lava is precarious at the best of times. Smarty pants.

Characters look sharp and clean, but some of the backdrops can seem a bit…blocky – I won’t ask you to excuse the pun – full voice acting featuring dialogue from the movie as well as the score gives it a LOTR seal of credibility.

It’s also less wacky in its approach, and for me that’s a bit of a shame. There are still moments of signature Lego humour, but it feels a little subdued compared to previous titles. This could be the most serious Lego game yet. Perhaps they’re branching out with the franchises they tackle, moving into more mature territory. Lego War and Peace anyone?

Black Friday tip: get a free Kindle book about game design!

 

Ever wanted to break into game design?

Since you are here for a free book, let’s not beat around the bush and get straight to the point. Besides being an editor, I write books. My newest book will be free during Black Friday and continue to be so for two whole days. So You Want to Be a Game Designer! heralds exiting times for me. You see, normally I’m the one giving out critique on this website, but this time it is your turn. Get the book while the offer lasts and do let me know what you think. Here’s a brief summary:

“So You Want to Be a Game Designer! is all about designing games, with you as a beginner in mind. Have you ever wondered about the possibilities for breaking into game design but don’t know where to start? This book is composed of 50% theory and 50% practical examples, enabling you to start creating classic games right away, while leafing through helpful examples. Several indie developers and seasoned game designers were interviewed for this book, including Vlambeer (Ridiculous Fishing, Super Crate Box) and Launching Pad Games (Scarlett & The Spark of Life, Mighty Fin).”    

Blatant plug? Yes. Free books? Yes, please! Normally, the book will set you back $ 9.99 so get it while it lasts. I reckon it’s a little more generous than the Turkey Helm currently available for Infinity Blade III (for a limited time) , isn’t it? Man, does that helmet look weird.

So You Want to Be a Game Designer!: A Balanced Book of Practice and Theory is now available on Amazon Kindle. It will be free from the 29th to the 30th of November (two days)