The iPhone and iPad have pretty much become the most unique gaming platform on the planet. We have everything from full-fledged first person shooters to 2-D platformers that require us to launch colored birds into the air for our own amusement. Smart Way (Free, iPhone/iPod Touch, iPad) is a brand new game for iOS which combines the challenging nature of turn by turn strategy games with the simplicity and adorability of domestic animals.
Game Play
Your only goal in Smart Way is to stop a pesky rabbit from escaping your field. You do this by placing down shrubbery to block the rabbit’s path. Once you have successfully trapped the offending animal you win the level and you’re scored on how many turns you made. The less turns, the higher your score. You then proceed onto the next, and more difficult, level.
The Rabbit has a series of power-ups that you’ll want him to avoid. This can allow him to travel more than one square, teleport to a different part of the map, jump over obstacles you’ve placed down or even destroy ALL of the items you’ve placed! Make sure he doesn’t get to them if you want to claim your sanity!
Although the game has a relatively simplistic gameplay style it’s actually deceptively challenging. I spent up to 20 – 25 minutes on a single level. This could be purely to do with my significant lack of brain cells, but I’m pretty sure the game will fool even the most experienced of iOS gamers.
Graphics
The graphics are simple, and therefore not distracting. Everything is neatly laid out on the screen. The playing grid is easy to see and each graphic is incredibly simple to understand.
The interface is very easy to navigate which is essential for casual games such as this. It’s got a neatly laid out menu, scoring system, help menu etc. It also has options for quickly uploading your scores to Facebook and Twitter, so you can show off to all your friends about your mad skills.
Everything is very nicely displayed in Smart Way, there’s nothing particularly confusing about it. However, as the app is free, ads do display over your game, often in the worst possible of places. Most of the ads will display at the top, chopping off a little bit of the game which is very frustrating. You can see how it looks below.
Personally, I would add a proper pause menu and display the ads on there. That way the ads are still being shown, yet not interfering with gameplay. It’s worth noting, however, that the ads can easily be removed through an in-app purchase available from the main menu.
Sound
The music in this game perfectly reflects the atmosphere. It’s quirky, upbeat and no matter how long you play the game for it won’t get incredibly annoying, like some other games in this genre.
Overall
Rating: 4/5[rating:4]
Taking everything into account, this game is extremely addictive and challenging making it a perfect iOS game. The only thing letting it down is its poorly placed ads which for me, let down the experience. Hopefully this is something that will be fixed soon.
Smart Way is available in two versions: one for the iPhone & iPod Touch (Free, App Store Link), and an HD version for the iPad (Free, App Store Link).
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