Deo Review

Deo is a creative original platformer for iOS devices. The game tasks players in controlling the eponymous character, who according to the game's story is tasked with restoring the world, which he accomplishes by navigating through perilous planet fragments. There are 96 levels in total, divided into fragments of 3 levels each. Deo has a very simple control scheme - holding down on the screen charges up Deo's jump, holding down longer means that Deo can jump farther. The goal is to get Deo to the red spot on the level by jumping from one patch of green to another. The levels are constantly rotating counter-clockwise, so avoiding the deadly black spots is just as paramount as making sure Deo doesn't just slide right off of the planet!

Deo's simple controls work exceptionally well for the game; the simple tutorial and the simple levels at the beginning help players ease into it before the more complex levels come into play. The visual aesthetic is fantastic, presenting a gloomy, atmospheric world with just enough splashes of color. The Deo character itself is wonderfully animated, and the game looks stunning on the Retina Display.

The game also features a limited user interface - enough to where the game can really shine through on its own style, but not enough to where it's confusing for users. It's all very subtle, and even the performance indicator of plant growth on a planet's section is ingeniously subtle. The best feature, though? Very quick and automatic respawning when Deo dies. This just isn't a frustrating game. The 3-level segments also make it great for pick up and play gameplay.

The levels where the green and red patches are obscured are among my least favorite in the game, particularly as many of them require not skilled jumping, but random guesswork to figure out which spots are safe and which spots are the black death. While the controls work great, a way to cancel a super-powered jump would be helpful as well. 

Deo is a great fit for mobile devices with both its controls and gameplay setup, has a wonderful artistic style, and is quite fun to play as well. Fans of both platformers and aesthetically pleasing games would do well to explore Deo.