PlanetHD
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PlanetHD

Our Review by Nadia Oxford on July 28th, 2014
Rating: starstarstarhalfstarblankstar :: SPACE MADNESS
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PlanetHD will keep players busy for a while, though its unpredictable physics are a handful to deal with.

Developer: Vinayak Games
Price: $1.99
Version Reviewed: 1.1
App Reviewed on: iPhone 5

Graphics / Sound Rating: starstarstarhalfstarblankstar
User Interface Rating: starstarstarhalfstarblankstar
Gameplay Rating: starstarstarhalfstarblankstar
Replay Value Rating: starstarstarhalfstarblankstar

Overall Rating: starstarstarhalfstarblankstar

Someday, Earth will get smacked again by an asteroid of similar proportions to the one that took out the dinosaurs. It's inevitable. Unlike velociraptors however, humans can observe their incoming doom and attempt to do something about it.

PlanetHD has the solution to our impending date with Mr. Asteroid: pick up the whole planet and move it to one side, just as neatly as a woman pulling her skirt aside to cross over a puddle. And when the asteroid comes back for a second swipe, just move the planet in the other direction. Or up. Or down. Or from side-to-side. Whatever's necessary.

PlanetHD is an action/reflex title from Vinayak Games. Players drag a small planetoid around the screen in an attempt to dodge an asteroid that careens crazily at all angles. In the finite mode of the game, players must protect their little planet for a set amount of time. If the planet and the asteroid get intimate, the game's over.

Later levels introduce slowly-scrolling space debris (that includes some astronauts - are they alive or dead?), which players must work around while dodging the nutty asteroid that plagues them. There are also planetoids that appear at random spots on the screen. These can be picked up to build a shield around planet prime, allowing it to take a single hit as long as the hazard bounces off the actual shield.

PlanetHD is certainly challenging, and it's a stylish-looking game. But with its challenge comes aggravation. The murderous asteroid's movements are utterly unpredictable; there's no attempt at basic physics here. The asteroid may bounce off the screen at the correct angle and fly at the planet accordingly, or it may pause briefly in mid-air and slide in the opposite direction. Playing PlanetHD is like playing keep-away with a madman. It's fun for a while, but before long come the exclamations of "Hey! That's not fair!"

There's also the issue of the planetoid shields. These are vital for survival, but picking up planetoids is pretty difficult: the planet is big, the playing field is small, the asteroid zips everywhere, and space debris is constantly spilling in. It's possible to build up a decent shield provided the player moves very carefully, but one hit and the entire shield is gone. Why can't portions be chipped away according to where the asteroid hits?

PlanetHD is frustrating as heck at times, and its challenge level could use some tweaking. That said, anyone who's in the market for a top-tier test of their reflexes should give this space odyssey a try.

iPhone Screenshots

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PlanetHD screenshot 1 PlanetHD screenshot 2 PlanetHD screenshot 3 PlanetHD screenshot 4 PlanetHD screenshot 5

iPad Screenshots

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PlanetHD screenshot 6 PlanetHD screenshot 7 PlanetHD screenshot 8 PlanetHD screenshot 9 PlanetHD screenshot 10
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