Tuesday 10 May 2011

Tiny Wings (iPhone)

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Mobile games have come a long way and have done so very, very quickly. Developers are begining to understand that when most people start playing a mobile game, whether it be on android or iPhone, they’re looking for a different experience. I think its safe to say that the triple A format that has served home consoles and PC’s so well for so long, don’t tend to transfer well onto the mobile format. Yes, we all know that handheld games have managed to a degree, but the android and iPhone platforms are a very different beast entirely.
With all this in mind, I would like you to consider Tiny Wings for iPhone and all that it brings to the table. On a home console, this game would not stand up, even as a Playstation Mini, I don’t think the game would transfer successfully. The premise of the game takes a small bird with “tiny wings” (shocker) and places him in a bright, colourful world. Sadly for Tiny Wings, his wings prevent him from flying properly, so players are asked to help it travel as far as he can through the day before nightfall inevitably arrives.


Tiny Wings’ gameplay is simple. Touch the screen to make the bird pull in his wings, let go and he will flap his little wings providing a small amount of lift. The terrain is set out in such a way that you use the hills to gain momentum, height and speed to travel along the islands attempting to gain as many points as possible. Timing and precision are key to success within Tiny Wings. Due to this, I picked the game up, and I was addicted. I found myself reaching for my iPhone during TV breaks only to notice that half an hour had passed and so had the show I was watching.

Visually, the best comparison I can make to the title is Rovio’s smash-hit Angry Birds. The colour scheme is very similar, and even the art direction seems to hold something of familiarity towards the leviathan that is Angry Birds. The simplicity of the game is probably its best feature, for as soon as you pick the game up, you know how to play it. In addition, each game, obviously depending on your level of skill, takes less than 10 minutes to complete, thus doing its job as a mobile game by being easy to pick up and play.


Overall, I would recommend this game to anybody who found themselves addicted to games such as Angry Birds, Cut The Rope, or even Peggle. Thanks to the title’s incredible simplicity, it allows skillful players to rack up some truly impressive scores. It is to an extent, however, a very disposable experience. I can see this game forgotten when the next game of similar ilk comes along. Also, if your looking for a deep, engrossing experience, this isn’t the game for you. However, despite being simple and rather throwaway in time, I urge you to give it a try.

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