Help Me Fly Review

Help Me Fly is a casual puzzle game in which players must connect pieces so that they build a path between a plane and a battery. With nice cartoony art and a simple but clever gameplay concept, Help Me Fly is a rock-solid puzzle title for the iPhone and iPad.

In each level of the game, players see a game board which inevitably includes a biplane, a battery, "challenge" stars, platforms, and any obstacles that may be introduced. They then must move platforms around the game board such that one platform connects with the battery, and all other platforms connect together and lead to the plane. Once this is accomplished, a "go" button appears on screen for players to push to make the plane fly off and grant access to the next level.

For added challenge, players can build their pathways so that the battery also powers a number of "challenge" stars present in a level. Connecting to these stars usually demands a much more specific arrangements of platforms, making each level into a more difficult puzzle experience. Also, as players progress through Help Me Fly, platforms with odd shapes or different attributes are introduced, as well as a variety of obstacles.

Help Me Fly nails its entire concept for the scope and style of game it sets out to be. Its art is nice and colorful, the puzzles strike a great balance of challenge, and it controls perfectly. The only real complaint I can level at this game is that it isn't particularly compelling as a casual puzzler. Many games already exist on mobile platforms that have players manipulate a set of tools to collect stars in order to progress. So, although Help Me Fly is a perfectly good game, it doesn't feel particularly original and thus doesn't stand out from the crowd.

However, for players that have not quite had their fill of casual puzzlers on their phone or tablet, Help Me Fly has plenty to offer with its solid mechanics and visual style. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this game to anyone, but I also don't think Help Me Fly would really disappoint anyone, either.