Shaolin Training Review
Price: $0.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0
Graphics / Sound Rating:
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Shaolin Training comes with 15 levels, but they'll take you some time. Unfortunately, the time-consuming nature of the game is less due to ingenious puzzle designs (and, yes, some of the level designs are rather nice), and more a consequence of the controls. The virtual joystick used in Shaolin Training is okay, but it's just a little "floaty," and imprecision in a finicky 3D game like this means that you'll spend a lot of time trying to push a box from the proper angle. Add that to devious puzzles and you've got a problem. Your character can also jump and, if you stick around long enough, unleash a psychic blast on the crates. On the plus side, moving the camera is easy—a key function in a 3D game like this.
The graphics are good—check out the screenshots—but the sound track is a brief loop that quickly becomes irritating.
Overall, Shaolin Training is fun, but not exceptionally so. Personally, the controls were a little too loose for me to fully enjoy the game, but it's got a good core. It's a simple, 3D action game of cannonball-dodging and crate-pushing; the narrow focus gives it a very Zen-like feel. An update or two (with OpenFeint or Apple's Game Center, perhaps, and better controls) could make it really shine.