It seems like no matter how the app store changes, we will always have those comfort games that have such a sturdy under girding we will never see their type go away. NBA Escape from Urthworx is one of those games. With gameplay that heavily relies on the popular physics of Angry Birds, Escape puts a basketball flavored theme on top that adds just enough variety to make it work.
NBA Escape: Trailer from urthworx.
Each level consists of coins and power ups you can collect as you try to sink a basket to beat the level. You start with he L.A. Lakers’ Roy Hibbert as the strong guy and The Charlotte Hornets’ Kemba Walker as the finesse shooter and even just between them, the angles needed to make a shot are vastly different. Roy explained to me that the game is like a mix of Angry Birds and Space Jam. The main evil guy you have to defeat, the Dribbler, has captured 90 NBA players and the only way to escape is to sink a bunch of baskets. Maybe not the best trap mechanic to set up for professional players, but he is a disco dancing dude with a basketball for a head, so we probably shouldn’t expect a Moriarty level of criminal wit. The plot really doesn’t have to be much more complicated than “sink your shot" for a game like this to work.
There is also a gachapon mechanic with an array of unlockable NBA stars with their own stats and abilities that can change up how you beat certain levels. An energy system does exist so don’t expect to burn through more than 4 or 5 levels at a time. This game seems directly aimed at anyone that wants a short term physics game, but is also a basketball fan. NBA Escape is set to release later this week on iOS.
