Feast or Famine Review
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Feast or Famine Review

Our Review by Rob Rich on February 13th, 2013
Rating: starstarstarstarblankstar :: MEATY
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This homage to the ancient ways of the hunter is practically bursting with personality. It's also pretty fun!

Developer: X4 Games
Price: $0.99
Version: 1.0
App Reviewed on: iPhone 5

Graphics / Sound Rating: starstarstarstarhalfstar
User Interface Rating: starstarstarhalfstarblankstar
Gameplay Rating: starstarstarstarblankstar
Re-use / Replay Value Rating: starstarstarstarblankstar

Overall Rating: starstarstarstarblankstar

The basic concept of hunting (not trophy hunting) hasn’t changed much over the centuries: Try to take down an elusive wild animal in order to eat. It’s just the tools that have really changed. Along with the necessity to actually succeed I suppose, since ancient Man couldn’t exactly drive down to Kmart if their plan to hunt Thanksgiving dinner didn’t pan out. Fortunately we have games like Feast or Famine to remind us of just how rough things used to be.

Glyph is a hunter. Perhaps the only one in his entire village seeing as no one else is helping him procure any of the food. Poor guy has gotten something of a bum deal. Players take control of said lone hunter and sucker as he attempts to gather enough meat to keep the village happy and himself sustained. Tapping the left side of the screen tosses whatever weapon is equipped, holding and dragging will stop time and allow for much more precise aiming, and tapping the right side jumps. Avoiding obstacles such as rocks and rivers will keep Glyph moving quickly while avoiding other obstacles like searing lakes of tar and angry bulls will keep him alive. When it’s all put together it makes for one wacky bison hunt.

One of my favorite things about Feast or Famine is the art style. The entire game is drawn up to look like a cave painting and it’s an absolute pleasure to look at. As for playing it; that’s pretty fun, too. Many of the obstacles in Glyph’s path aren’t inherently fatal, and he’ll automatically pull himself up and over anything that players can’t quite react fast enough to avoid. Unless it’s deadly, of course. Being able to stop time to aim is also a great help as lining up those shots can be tricky in mid-jump without it.

For the most part Feast or Famine is a solid game, however I’ve come to notice a slight lag in the controls that can sometimes lead to an untimely demise. Specifically it happens when trying to perform an action while Glyph is already doing something else. Tossing a spear at just the wrong time can delay his reaction time when attempting to jump, resulting in a hot tar bath or landing on top of an angry bull on occasion. For the most part it’s not a huge problem, but there are some instances where it can lead to replaying a specific area over and over again. Which becomes rather tiring after a while, honestly.

Feast or Famine is a non-endless runner with a great sense of style and personality. Every now and then Glyph may not react as intended but that doesn’t undo all the fun that’s been had up until that point. Runner fans: stoke those cooking fires.

iPhone Screenshots

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Feast or Famine screenshot 1 Feast or Famine screenshot 2 Feast or Famine screenshot 3 Feast or Famine screenshot 4 Feast or Famine screenshot 5

iPad Screenshots

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Feast or Famine screenshot 6 Feast or Famine screenshot 7 Feast or Famine screenshot 8 Feast or Famine screenshot 9 Feast or Famine screenshot 10
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