Promotional apps are frequently a rather mixed bunch. Maybe I’m a cynic but I always expect them to focus more on what they’re selling than a great experience. However The Nightjar, part of the Wrigley’s 5 Experience campaign, is a pretty impressive looking sensory experience.

It’s an app that’s all about focusing on sounds and our reliance on being able to hear. You’re stranded on a failing spaceship that’s inhabitated by all manners of nasty aliens. You’re reliant on the voices, one of which played by Benedict Cumberbatch. This name should be familiar to many in the UK thanks to his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes in BBC’s Sherlock. He’s got an ideal voice for this kind of thing with a smooth upper class inflection, immediately sounding like your commanding officer should.

The Nightjar is a fascinating app simply put. It’s from the makers of Papa Sangre, another audio only experience, and the expertise shows, offering a great sensory experience. It’s vital that you use headphones while playing to get the full sensation of hearing sounds from all directions, and it’s something you’d do well to play in a room by yourself, but it is very intriguing.

The Wrigley’s 5 Experience project will encompass more big names in its apps across the year, each focusing on a different experience, so it’ll be great to see what they come up with next.

For now though, give The Nightjar a whirl. It’s free and a pretty special idea. It’s also downright unnerving at times! It’s amazing how vulnerable you feel, reliant solely on your hearing to get by.

Unfortunately, hopefully only for now, it’s only available on the UK App Store but do take a look at the YouTube video of it to see what it’s like.

$3.99

The Nightjar

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2013-04-24 :: Category: Games