11.21.2010

Astronut


Publisher: Iconfactory; Cost: FREE (4 levels), in-game upgrade $1.99 (20 more levels)

Astronut

Astronut is a vertical scroller for your iPhone from the Iconfactory. Astronut gives the player control over an astronaut floating through space. You control the Astronut, bouncing him between planets until he crosses the finish line. The app is also GameCenter-enabled, so you can tout your best scores across the Internet.


Jumppp

Gameplay

Controls are very simple in Astronut, with the player only able to move by jumping. The player jumps between rotating planets, using the rotation of the planets to aim for the next one. There is another feature called Boost which allows the player to jump a bit faster and kill enemies. The Boost button is on the opposite side of the screen from the Jump button, making it necessary to use 2 hands in cases where you need to use a Boost just after a Jump.  There is less emphasis on killing enemies than avoiding them.

The game offers bonus levels of floating through space to collect items and hearts.

I felt the gameplay to be a bit fiddly, but maybe that's just supposed to be part of the challenge.

Quality

The Iconfactory are well-known for their great production values and attention to detail and they don't disappoint here. The visual polish and overall user experience are superb and really make you feel like you are using a quality product. Everything down to the sound effects just drips with quality.

NOT free at all :(

Conclusion

Even though Astronut is visually beautiful and simple, it just didn't really make me want to keep playing. The floating can be a bit awkward and uncontrolled. Even with all its charm and polish, the game didn't make me want to keep going and pay the $1.99 for the full version.

AppApps Rating


Game Play:Like an awkward Merry-Go-Round

Graphics:Great polish and style