Line drawing is on the short list of control methods that always seem to work really well for the iPhone. The latest in this parade of line drawing games is Lion Pride [App Store], a strange mixture of gameplay mechanics found in Draw Race, The Battle of Pirate Bay, and even a little Coastguard.
The premise of the game is simple, you control a pack of lions and need to gather food for the rest of your pride. Thankfully, in this corner of the African savanna there seems to be a constant stream of warthogs, gazelles, and other beasts to munch on. Similar to Draw Race, you control the speed of the lions by how fast you draw lines from them on screen. Sneaking up on animals is important to keep them from running off, so you start by moving your lions slowly, then quickly go in for the kill. If something starts to get away, tapping twice on them will briefly stun them.
As you get further in to the game, you get more lions to control and tougher prey which needs to be attacked by multiple lions in order to be brought down. Lions need to be positioned to work as a team to all strike at once, and if any wandering hyenas come on screen they need to be scared off to prevent them from disrupting your food supply.
This gameplay video by Blue Fang Games better illustrates the controls and game concept:
I’m pleasantly surprised with how much I’m enjoying Lion Pride, line drawing games are much like tower defense games in that they’re all fairly similar to each other but the good ones come with gameplay elements that make them stand out from the pack. Lion Pride has colorful graphics, a musical track that fits the game perfectly, and different enough gameplay that it’s still worth having even if you already own all the other big-name line drawers out there.
App Store Link: Lion Pride, 99¢
