Developer/Publisher: Tactile Entertainment
Genre: Mini-game Suite
Price: $0.99
Acquired: Review Copy Provided
Review Platform: iPhone
Verdict: A fun set of mini-games for our short attention spans.
Pros: Fun, quick mini-games, humorous situations.
Cons: Learning curve for some of the mini-games.

According to the developer, Tactile Entertainment, Crazy Test is a “marathon of mini-games,” inspired by WarioWare. Mini-games might be a misnomer, however; micro-games is more accurate. Each micro-game in Crazy Test only lasts about three seconds (or less). As such, they are based on reaction time.

There a three gameplay modes in Crazy Test: Test Mode, Arcade Mode, Mini-game Mode. Test mode is an endurance round that tests how long you can last in a predesignated set of micro-games. You start with three lives, losing one if you fail a game, and can earn more as you progress. Arcade mode is just like test mode, except that the order of games is randomized. Mini-game mode is what you expect, allowing you to simply go back and play your favorite games.

Each game is very short and singular in purpose, and each starts with a very basic instruction to guide you. One may say “swipe to give the kids the ride of their lives,” and the purpose is to swipe across the screen, which turns a merry-go-round with kids on it until they fly off. In test and arcade modes, a timer counts through the rounds, and acts as your score keeper. The higher your time is when you finally lose your last life, the higher ranked you are.

Crazy Test has an entertaining, yet dark style of humor. From popping the balloons in the hand of a little girl floating in the air (yes, with the desired result), to over feeding a cat until he pukes all over your screen, the humor is delightful and cringe-worthy at the same time. My personal favorite starts with the instruction: Pet the bunnies with a lawnmower. Then yes, you get to do exactly that.

My only real complaint is that some of the games come with ambiguous instructions. For instances, one game has you playing Tarzan, who is swinging to rescue Jane. The instruction simply says, “swing Tarzan in order to save Jane.” It took me a few times of failing at this, by swiping, pinching, etc., to realize that the game used the accelerometer and I had to tilt my phone.

Aside from the occasional ambiguity, this is actually a fun game. It is perfect for those times when you know you’re only going to be in the waiting room for five or ten minutes, but any longer period of time could get to be too much. Today, we pay an average of $19 per person at the movie theatre for a two-hour film and snacks. Crazy Test with give you many more hours of entertainment, albeit in short bursts, for only $0.99. That sounds like a deal to me.