iPhone Review: Volcano Planet

Editor’s Note: Since this review was originally published, an update has been released that addresses some of the original review’s concerns. Scroll to the bottom to read the impressions of the update.

Publisher/Developer: JellyBiscuits
Genre: Tap Game
Price: $0.99 (Lite Version Available)
Verdict: A plain 3D action tap game that while being of sound execution lacks depth and replayability, but much improved in the 1.2 update, and worth checking out
Pros: Decent graphics, good implementation of this concept from a control standpoint
Cons: No terrain variation, cluttered display and like all games with non-continuable intensity curves, difficult to want to play from the start after a while.

Yes it is.

I learned more about global warming in 2 minutes with this game than in an hour and a half sitting through an Al Gore movie.  If you are a climate change believer then this game will make you feel really bad about what we are doing to this planet and will seem like a metaphor for your life.  If you are not, and understand that climate change is no more real than any other commercial opportunity designed to create fees to make certain people rich, then this is a simulator.

Puff Puff Pass

Listen, I think I need to state my manifesto before I review this game.  In reviewing other people’s work, I feel it is important to understand that no game is created in a vacuum, and you should incorporate in your opinion whether the developers executed the best possible implementation of their intent.  That being said, I commend the designers for creating a well done tap game with good animation, okay graphics and 3D models, pleasant sound, and (most importantly) pretty good control.  For realizing their concept, I give developers a B.  Whether or not you actually think this game is fun depends on your like of puzzle/tap games or acceptance of a generic game skin.

The basic premise here is that you control a planet littered with volcanoes (hence “Volcano Planet) that is inhabited by an alien race named the ‘Xediots’, which I think means they are stupid.  Apparently developers JellyBiscuits are using this app to hold a mirror up to us: this race have destroyed their planet with sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide gas (helium didn’t sound scary enough and no one is trying to escape nitrous oxide) and it is up to you to buy enough time for them to escape the dying planet and thus save them.  Using touch control you can spin the globe any direction; the control registers velocity so the faster you swipe the screen the faster the planet spins on a corresponding axis.  In order to stop these volcanoes from spewing gas, you tap the mouth of the eruption to stop it and quickly move on to the next one. You can close multiple volcanoes at once and as you do so the gas meters on either side of the screen show how much gas has escaped before you shut the volcano down.  The slower you cap the volcanoes the quicker the gas meters fill and once they both fill, the planet explodes and it’s game over.  Each time you tap on the Volcano, a musical note is played, and at the end of the level, the notes are played back rewarding you with a little tune.

Should have covered up that thermal exhaust port

Unfortunately, not all is well with this design.  The screen is cluttered with information and it is placed around the entire edges of the screen making it hard to read while you play.  These gauges and timers should have been consolidated and confined to one area that was easy to track with your eyes while you played.  Variety is important in casual games, or as I like to call them: impulse games, meaning the game is at the ready to load and play in an instant.  Because the intensity builds and you cannot save your progress, every time you play you will have to climb that ladder from the beginning.  The only real variety in the game is spaceships that pop up and are tougher to track and kill that the volcanoes.  Bottom line, this game basically puts you on the clock, and each play will be an attempt to last longer than the last.

That's a wrap.

At the end of the day, if the game I described sounds fun to you, then by all means you can’t go wrong here.  I wonder if I would have liked this better if it was licensed by Lucasarts and instead you had to seal little thermal exhaust ports before that weakness could be exploited by some enterprising farmboy.

UPDATE:

On October 29th, Developer Jelly Biscuits dropped a hefty update to Volcano Planet, placing the app at version 1.2.  I have to say that even though some minor issues still exist like the cluttered display, there has been enough added to make this game a solid buy recommendation.  My biggest gripe with having to re-run the gauntlet every time you start has been fixed with the game autosaving at levels 5, 10, 20, & 30.  You can now also resume your game from a pause or phone call.  Overall, the game plays better, looks nicer, and has some clever touches that add some strategy to the existing one-note game play.  I think it was Shigeru Miyamoto that said, “When in doubt, add a power-up.”  With the ability to slow time, press and hold volcano suppressors, a second bonus spaceship that effectively acts as a ‘POW’ shutting down all fissures, and chainable combos, enough depth has been added to add a strategy element to the exercise. Finally, online high score support has been added by using “Scoreloop”, and while not as effective as OpenFeint, it does the job.  If you passed on this the first time around, you should take a second look.

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