#5 - Trace

Game: Trace

Price: £Free / $Free | App Store |
Genre: Action, Puzzle
Developer: Kevin Calderone
Rating: 4+

Design: 6/10
Sound: 8/10
Gameplay: 8/10
Overall: 7/10

Draw On Your Problem Solving Skills!
Take on various elements of the world and save your stick man from instant peril as you draw yourself a route through a vast series of challenging levels. This game will test your problem solving skills, but in a relaxing and enjoyable way. It's an odd experience really, so arm your drawing finger and take a closer look.

Design
It's probably one of the simplest designs of any game on the entire App Store, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's bad. The game has deliberately used the most basic of graphics to give it a quirky look and feel that will have you focusing more on the gameplay. There are a number of moments where you'll have to take a good few looks in order to figure out what the developer has attempted to draw, badly, but somehow that actually adds to the fun. The developer is in no way pretending to be an artist, but has comfortably proven that you don't necessarily need to be one in order to achieve a great game. It feels like you're playing something that has been knocked up really quickly, but thanks to the addictive, intuituve nature of the game, it's thoroughly enjoyable and feels very personal. There are a huge number of levels, all placed into fun themes that will keep you busy for weeks.

Sound
The soundtrack is thoroughly enjoyable throughout with a new tune for each of the 6 themed categories plus the homescreen song. The music is incredibly soothing and adds to the experience very well. There are only a couple of SFX, but that is all that was needed really and it is by no means a bad thing. The music adds to the games relaxed design and gameplay that will leave you feeling very content as opposed to frustrated.

Gameplay
The main part of the game is to draw the platforms that your stick man can travel across in order to reach the shining golden sun (the goal), tweaking routes with your eraser as you go. However, you also have the additional controls in the form of left and right and jump, meaning that you have complete control at all times. You will fail if your man falls off the screen or is hit by an obstacle, but everytime this happens you simply go straight back to the beginning of the level and can start again instantly. It's quick and painless and makes for a very pleasant gaming experience with no loading time between attempts. All levels have a completion time that you can try and beat (offering repeat gaming) and there is an overall completion percentage challenging you to beat every single one of the 120 levels. Needless to say, the game offers incredible value for money!

Conclusion
This is a very unique gaming experience that, despite it's simple design and gameplay, is actually incredibly good fun to play and can be very challenging. The fact that you can attempt to complete each level in any number of ways makes it a very liberating experience and gives a puzzle feel to the game as you try to figure out the best route. It's not going to win any awards for its design, but if you can see past that and accept it as fun and quirky, then you will discover an awesome game that cost you nothing at all and will entertain you for hours and hours. Give it a go, it's free!

#4 - Paracute

Game: Paracute

Price: £0.59 / $0.99 | App Store |
Genre: Action, Scroller
Developer: Donut Games
Rating: 4+

Design: 7/10
Sound: 5/10
Gameplay: 6/10
Overall: 6/10

Parachuting Bears With A Big Brave Heart!
A peculiar game, to say the least, involving teddy bears, pillows and hearts but not aimed at just girls! Starting at the top of the cave, you glide the parachuting teddy bear safely through the nooks and crannies to the relative safety of the big fluffy pillow at the bottom. You must gather hearts to score points, avoid enemies and protect your parachute during your descent. Yes, it sounds awful! However, like most crazy, creative ideas by this vastly experienced developer, somehow it not only works, but works really well.

Design
Donut Games have released 24 games to date and they all follow a very similar, neat and polished design theme. They have used their typical colourful cartoony graphics in this game and it all looks great. There is not too much variety in place though, which is a real shame, but I accept that a game set in a cave is going to be tricky. There are just about enough changes as you progress through the levels, but it's all just a little too exact in its execution, as if a strict template has been followed for the creation of every level. Whilst this maintains a consistantly pleasant experience, it falls short of generating any excitement as you progress through the game.

Sound
Perhaps my hearing is a little off after the delights of Bit Pilot, but to me, this game really lacks a soundtrack! The background music is very unobtrusive with the emphasis placed on regular SFX from collecting items and obstacles. It's probably a wise move, given the amount of times you need to play a level in order to complete it, but that doesn't mean there couldn't be a little more variety of the unobtrusive music, rather than just one endless muttering. The SFX are all crisp and blend into the experience perfectly.

Gameplay
The game is incredibly simple to play with left and right the only taps on the screen. As you make your descent you need to gather as many hearts as possible with small ones gaining 5 points and large ones 50 points. There are obstacles such as hooks and fans, bonus items such as replacement parachute and shield and a small variety of enemies that will send you into freefall if you hit one. Each of the 30 levels has a 1, 2 or 3 star completion target ensuring replay value as you seek to fully complete the game. The game is perhaps a little too simple to complete and could do with some extra levels, but it's certainly challenging enough to attempt 3 stars on them all. There is not much variety on offer, but portals and 'helpers' on some of the levels bring something different to the table.

Conclusion
The lack of variety in the gameplay is perhaps the reason it has been limited to just 30 levels. The developers seem to have explored every possible avenue, so you are getting the best possible experience from them and it makes for a relatively good game. There is no question that it's a very enjoyable game to play, but it's likely that you'll complete it fairly quickly and may be left wanting a little more. The £0.59 price is definitely fair but Donut Games regularly have special offers where they put some of their games up for free, so just search Donut Games if you want to try some of their stuff out before commiting to a purchase. Overall, it's well worth a go and boasts some of the nicest looking cartoon graphics on the iPhone.