The App Store has been online for nearly six months now and there are already over 10,000 applications available for download–most of them games. And while there’s no shortage of match-three, Sudoku, or poker titles for the iPhone and iPod touch, there is a distinct lack of 2D platformers. Team Phobic’s recent iPhone release Bounce On [App Store] helps to fill that void.
In Bounce On, a red ball has accidentally fallen out of someone’s pocket and it’s the player’s job to guide it home while picking up gems and power-ups along the way and avoiding (or squashing) enemies, Mario-style. The ball is controlled via tilt with a tap to the screen to bounce. The graphics are simplistic, cartoony and colorful, also evoking a Mario-esque feel.
The game features smooth animation and a comfortable play pace. The current release features 15 levels and the developer promises more will be avialable via free updates.
We pointed to Team Phobic’s preview video earlier this month and weren’t quite sure how the gameplay would pan out when we finally got our hands on it. Now that we’ve spent some time with it, we’re happy to report that Bounce On is an enjoyable iPhone platformer.
Our gameplay video shows the first few levels, which are fairly easy to complete. Rest assured the game gets more difficult further along, as the aforementioned, lower resolution preview video demonstrates.
[ Full HD version | Low Bandwidth version ]
So, is it the iPhone’s Great Giana Sisters? Well, not quite. But Bounce On is a fun basic platformer that fans of the genre, lamenting the dearth of such titles in the App Store, may find to be worth a look.
App Store Link: Bounce On, $2.99
