This was posted on April Fool’s day
Surely by now everyone who reads TouchArcade should be familiar with lite versions of apps. Love ’em or hate ’em, until the advent of in-app purchase an entirely separate version of a game was the only way developers had to allow users to try their (often limited or restricted in some way) apps for free. With the release of iOS 3.0 developers now have the ability to use IAP as a means of offering a single app which is then paid for via an “unlock" of sorts. However, lite versions still remain remarkably prevalent.
We don’t normally review lite versions of games, but this one is so confusing that I felt that it needed to be highlighted. Split Rail, developers of the game Face Mirror [Free] recently released Flash Lite 4 [99¢], apparently the lite version of Flash 4 which we’re thinking is a yet to be released game based on the Fantastic 4, or possibly even the comic book character The Flash. Releasing a lite version before the full paid version of a game isn’t unheard of, as Team Phobic did it with great success with Bounce On 2 [$3.99 / Lite].
Not much positive can be said about Flash Lite 4 other than the fact that it sports some ridiculously crisp Retina Display graphics. Once you load up the game, you’re greeted with the Flash Lite 4 title screen that only seems to include a single slider switch which can be toggled on and off using a familiar swiping gesture.
Other than that, Flash Lite 4 is completely devoid of all gameplay. There isn’t any story to speak of, no power-ups, unlocks, or achievements. In fact, I’d go as far as to say this is the absolute worst lite version of a game I’ve ever played in that it neither includes any taste of what the full version of the game is all about, but the developers also have the audacity to charge 99¢ for it.
Needless to say, I recommend steering clear of Flash Lite 4. Oddly enough, playing the game does have a somewhat unexpected side effect in that when you toggle the switch the LED on the iPhone 4 turns on and off, which has been surprisingly handy for finding my way around in the dark. Regardless, gameplay totally falls flat. Don’t waste your time with this one.
