Tag: Endless game »

I know a lot of people have begun to get tired of zombies, but not me. Assuming the game they're in is good, of course. I mean I still like zombies in my games but Dead Ahead isn't getting a free pass. That said, I've been having a great time with it. Not because of all the Living Dead but because it's a genuine blast to play.

As one of possibly only a couple of living humans in a zombie-infested world, players will have to stay ahead of a mass of hungry corpses while avoiding all manner of obstacles in order to stay alive. Simple touch controls allow them to weave around derelict vehicles and barricades (and guide pursuing undead into them), accelerate to gain ground (or plow through zombies in front of them, and fire off their weapon behind them. Like all endless runners the idea is to last as long as possible but there are also a number of challenges that are issued that will increase the player's rank once each set of is completed. Higher ranks unlock better bikes and weapons, while cash earned by squishing zombies is needed to purchase and upgrade them.

I'm totally in love with Dead Ahead's visual style. It's semi-retro with visible pixels and such, but also quite detailed and extremely well animated. Watching zombies burst when running them over or faceplant and skid on the pavement when they trip over an obstacle is incredibly satisfying and never gets old. The constant push to move up in the ranks as well as to acquire better gear is also great. Ignoring the call of "just one more run" is difficult enough but knowing there's only one more challenge between me and the next rank, or only a little more cash for the next firearm, it's almost impossible.

I just wish there were another control option. There are already two (buttons or dragging), but the problem is that my thumb has a tendency to block oncoming hazards from my view for a few precious milliseconds. It's still possible to react and get around them for the most part but it can be pretty tough at high speeds. I hate to admit it since I tend to vastly prefer touch over tilt, but in this instance I think the latter would work even better for me.

Dead Ahead is a great endless runner with plenty to offer, even to those who have grown to hate seeing zombies in their games. I certainly wouldn't mind having a third control option for tilting to make dodging obstacles at high speeds a little easier (theoretically), but what's already there is more than enough to get the job done. I also never get tired of watching the gloriously animated zombie carnage, so there's that.

Remember Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow? That transforming place was badass, wasn’t it? Well, Scrap Hunt puts players in the cockpit of one such impossible flying machine, although sadly there’s no Jude Law to be found.

There’s a loose bit of context holding the action together involving aliens and various mission parameters than run the gamut from recovering fishing rods to listening to the radio, but of course it’s just a means to keep things moving. Scrap Hunt is a single-tap endless game in which players must tap and hold the screen to ascend and release to drop, all while grabbing scrap and avoiding hazards. What’s particularly different about this one is the way in which the plane will transform to tackle each of the three possible environments: in the air, underwater, and underground.

The hazards change along with the terrain, or lack thereof, to really keep players on their toes. Flying saucers attack straight down, so it’s important not to fly under them, while conversely submarines fire straight ahead and must be approached from the top or bottom. Smacking into an enemy will cause the aircraft to sprout a drill for a moment, which destroys the target and produces lost of scrap. However the drill won’t save players from mines or torpedos so they have to be careful. Scrap can then be exchanged for special upgrades that include leaving a trail of gas to disable any saucers that might have gotten past, the ability to go down in a blaze of glory after a loss, or even aiding with further scrap collection.

It doesn’t take too terribly long to run out of upgrades to buy, unfortunately. Especially if players construct the magnet early on. The various missions to tackle will doubtlessly keep people engaged for a while longer but once all the upgrades are acquired there’s very little incentive to keep gathering scrap. Although I suppose complaining about charging through the game and unlocking everything relatively fast is a testament to how much fun it can be.

Scrap Hunt is one of those “came out of nowhere but is totally fun” sort of iOS games. It’s quick to get started, easy to learn, provides plenty of challenges, and at the very least should keep players involved for a while until they unlock everything. It’s just a shame that it won’t take all that long to run out of stuff to chase after. At least not when the game is so difficult to put down.

Theological discussions aside, I imagine it would be pretty tough to build a massive sea-going vessel and then stock it with two of every animal in the world. I also imagine it would be rather difficult to catch up with said super-sized ship once it’s set sail, but that’s exactly what happens in Chillingo’s Catch the Ark.

Noah and a few of his animal buddies have been left behind. Rather than mope around and wait for the floodwaters they decide to get proactive and attempt to chase down the biblical boat. The gameplay, which is still admittedly in fairly early form, takes place on an endless river. Players must guide the tiny raft back and forth in order to avoid obstacles and snag some coinage. These coins can be gathered and used to purchase new dinghies or special power-ups to give their future runs a better chance at success.

I have to admit I was pretty impressed by Catch the Ark, even with the game in such an early form. The visuals are incredibly stylish and colorful, the controls are responsive, and the little detail of animals hanging on the small boat representing “lives” is just brilliant. It’s also worth noting that, at least in this early build, it avoids many of the pitfalls typically associated with Bible-related games. Which is to say it’s more about the game than the Genesis.

Catch the Ark is still too early in development to have an official release date or price, but it’s definitely coming. And it seems like something worth keeping an eye out for.