Android Quick App: Kona's Crate
Every so often a game comes around that makes you
stop, take pause, and admire it's design. As the hardware we're using
continues to improve, I think we'll be seeing more of that, but until we
do, there is Kona's Crate.
Kona's Crate is a game
about delivering stuff. What stuff, you ask? A crate, undoubtedly! It's
not just any crate, however. It's filled with stars (you know, for
points) and you give it to Chief Kona, the guy with the terrifying mask
that you'd otherwise avoid. But hey, he's the one dishing out
stars, so you have to do it. Just remember, if anyone ever offers you
stars to get in their van and give you a ride home, the answer is no.
Anyway, because Kona is a jerk
chief, he's opted for a less-than-conventional method of getting his
cargo shipped to him. Instead of the standard fare, you've got to move a
jet-controlled delivery platform to wherever he is on any given level.
If it sounds simple, it's not.
Yes, the controls are
simple. A left tap on the screen powers your left thruster, and a right
tap powers the right. You've got the option to invert the controls, but
regardless, a tap on the screen gets your engine purring. From there,
this game turns into a split-second hating, reflex-challenging,
make-you-want-to-throw-your-phone-in-agony kind of experience, but you
won't be able to stop.
Gameplay starts off in a
tutorial. As you advance through the laughably simple tutorial stages,
you'll notice difficulty starts to ramp up. At first, where you needed
only to nudge the crate over to the left, now you've got to navigate
curvy freefalls and float over tricky walls. This is only the beginning
of the challenge, as the farther you progress, the more intense gameplay
gets. Falling blocks, TNT and physics are there to derail your next-day delivery shipment, and you've got to use your catlike reflexes to overcome it all.
A
speedier delivery nets you more stars (maximum of three) at the
completion of a level. If you can't hit your goal, the game tells you
what time you need to have delivered in to reach the next tier up.
Unique to Kona's Crate are the vines that wrap around your stars. Vines
are your reward for not running into any obstacles like walls or
ceilings, or in later levels, debris. I think this is more for the
completionists in all of us, so be aware that it's there.
Kona's
Crate contains more than 60 levels in three campaigns, with superb
graphics and OpenFeint support. With OpenFeint, you can see how you
stack up on the leaderboards for time, stars and vines earned, and even
publicly post your bests on Facebook and Twitter (but not Google+!).
There's also achievements to be had, like New High Score and Safe
Landing, plus a plethora more I've not yet been skilled enough to
unlock.
Overall, Kona's Crate is a solid game on
Android. It's combination of beautiful graphics, challenging, unique
gameplay, and high replayability factor are all reasons to invest in it.
There's a free version as well as a paid version, but for a scant 99
cents, you can buy yourself the whole package as well as support a
developer who is wholeheartedly deserving of it.
Original : Here
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