If you’re just lounging around enjoying a lazy Sunday, here’s something worth hopping off the couch for: One Man Left‘s frantic arcade game Tilt to Live ($2.99) is currently 100% FREE. Actually, now that I think about it, if your iOS device is at arm’s length you probably don’t even need to get off the couch to download this bad boy. Score!
If you need a refresher course on just what the heck Tilt to Live is, at its heart it’s an object avoidance game where you, well, tilt to live. You move a tiny arrow around the game arena by tilting your device, avoiding enemy red dots that appear and gradually increase in numbers as you play, and every last one of them are hell-bent on taking you out. While avoiding these enemies, you’ll also need to collect various weapons that appear in the arena, which are how you take out the red dots. Collide with an enemy even once and it’s game over for you.
That’s the gist of the game’s Classic mode, which earned it a 5 star review from us in March of 2010, but tons more has been added to Tilt to Live since then. Just a couple months after release an update hit which added Code Red mode, lovingly described as “Classic mode on crack", and Gauntlet mode which is a survival mode where the red dots don’t chase after you but rather scroll across the screen in various complex formations which you must avoid.
Later that year, another update was released which added Frostbite mode. Here the red dots are frozen and falling from the top of the screen. Your job is to bash through them with your arrow before they hit the bottom. If any of them do reach the bottom, they’re defrosted into normal red dots which will then start coming after you, which red dots tend to do.
Finally, in December of 2010 yet another mode was added called ¡Viva La Turret! as an in-app purchase. Here, you can collect a weapon that turns you into a stationary gun turret. Red dots descend on you from every angle as you lay waste to them with a barrage of bullets. Gunned down red dots turn into lovely little blue crystals, which can be collected once you hop out of the turret and add to your multiplier which can lead to some insane scores. Also, if you have a buddy with Tilt to Live you can play this mode in local co-op, with one person manning the turret and the other collecting the sweet, sweet blue crystals.
So hey, there’s all you need to know about Tilt to Live. Oh, and if you are an iPad owner, you can check out Tilt to Live HD (Free) which is free by default with a limited look at Classic mode but offers the full enchilada via an in-game purchase. The iPad version isn’t just a scaled up version, either. Instead, the characters in the game are the same size and the arena itself is actually four times larger, offering quite a different experience from its smaller counterpart. The in-app purchase appears to be on sale currently too for just $1.99, though I haven’t been paying close enough attention to know if that’s a recent development or has been that way for a while. Either way, it’s a steal for such a fantastic game.
Basically, Tilt to Live an absolute must download while free. It’s only ever been free one time before a couple of years back, so definitely jump on this deal while you can because who knows if it will ever be free again. It’s an App Store classic for sure, and one that needs to be in your collection. The only thing missing for me is widescreen support for my iPhone 5, but nonetheless it’s one game that will never leave my device. While you’re busy grabbing this freebie, you might also check out One Man Left’s other title Outwitters (Free), which is a simply fantastic turn-based strategy game that doesn’t get the attention it deserves.
