:: THROWBACK OR OUTDATED?
In The Incident you play as Frank Solway, "a regular guy who finds himself having to avoid the sudden, unstopping rain of everything in the world." In order to survive, you must avoid falling items whilst climbing higher in order to reach the "kitchen-sink shower" source of all this madness. It's as crazy is it sounds, with everything from Smart cars to the Easter Island statue falling towards you. The universal game, which is built for iPhone and iPad natively, has been featured by Apple and awarded 4.5 stars by 148Apps.
The upcoming update includes some notable extras, such as the provision of a Controller Mode that allows users to play the retro game on their iPad, using the iPhone as a controller. In addition, the release will provide an official Game Center Leaderboard on an all-new game mode, Endless Nightfall, allowing you to directly challenge your friends' top scores even when you aren't together. On top of all this, there are 53 new items ready to fall on you, as well as a number of new sounds and an improved in-game menu. A number of bug fixes are also included in the update.
If you haven’t yet played The Incident, you can pick it up for $1.99 by following the links below. For more information, see the official site here or watch the embedded video below.
Full list of new features: New game mode: Endless Nightfall; Game Center leaderboard: Endless Nightfall scores are sent to Game Center; remote control: control your iPad using an iPhone or iPod Touch; 53 new items (including 3 items drawn by guest artists); new power-up balloon in Endless Nightfall; access options without returning to the main menu; added music to the Twitter screen; Escape Bubble must be recharged between uses; new sound for pipe objects; various bug fixes.
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You control the hero by tilting the device left and right, and jump him by tapping. It's simple and controls well, which means that you can quickly get to the job of staying alive. Like another popular jumping game out there, Doodle Jump, the premise is so simple that if anything in the game were poorly executed, it could easily be called repetitive -- dodge, jump, jump, dodge, grab a coin, jump. But The Incident does such a good job of keeping you on your toes, watching all corners of the screen, and scrambling for precious power-ups, that its simple premise is practically addictive.
The first few levels ramp up nicely, so that by the time things get really hectic, you'll be well versed in the art of dodging and jumping. Along the way you're earning enough extra lives that you'll probably never run out, and hitting frequent checkpoints so that you can hold onto your progress. There are only eight total levels, beginning on the street and ending in space, but each level packs enough challenge to make it feel like plenty of game.
The Incident's 8-bit style helps in that it's clean and well-executed. There's a large variety of pixelated, brightly-colored objects being thrown at you, many of them eliciting a little smile the first time they appear -- everything from taxis and sofas to Egyptian sarcophagi, garden gnomes, and Easter Island statues. There are not so many that you'll never see a repeat, but there are enough to keep the pile interesting. And when you die, you're granted a little death trophy of the object that killed you; "Death by Midcentury-Modern Door at 575m" is quite a way to go.
Any complaints about the Incident are minor. The aforementioned small number of levels is a limitation on replayability, and the lack of any online leaderboards or other competitive components will disappoint some. And yes, if the core game play doesn't appeal to you, you'll get bored very quickly, as they're nothing else to the game but jump, jump, dodge, jump. But none of these are significant drawbacks.
There's something sweet about seeing a simple concept executed well. The Incident is a great game that offers up a fun time with well-crafted retro sensibilities, and it's sure to appeal to a lot of iOS gamers. Download it today.
Update 10/18/10: Big Bucket Software has released a major update for The Incident, turning this already top-notch game into a true 5-star app. All of the (admittedly minor) issues we had with the Incident have been addressed in this update: a new "Endless Mode" and Game Center integration with online leaderboards have really enhanced The Incident's playability, and the introduction of an awards and achievement section allows you to go back and relive your best moments (and best deaths).
In addition, Big Bucket added a sweet new feature to the game: the ability to use an iPhone or iPod Touch as a controller when playing on the iPad. This feature works very nicely, and even uses the iPhone screen to preview the next falling object. It's a clever and well-implemented feature, and it has quickly become my favorite way to play The Incident. If you have both devices, you owe it to yourself to give this a try.
