Review: Sway

Overview

Sway is the type of game that should appeal to almost any iPhone gamer. It has cute, cartoony graphics coupled with extremely innovative multi-touch controls that will keep you entertained for hours as long as you can handle the initially steep learning curve.

Features

It’s All About Controls

It cannot be overstated, Sway is all about the multi-touch controls. The game was designed around the idea that controls make iPhone games special, as is the case with Sway. The game only requires you to play with your thumbs. The left thumb controls the red hand of your character while the right thumb controls the green hand. There aren’t any visual indicators as to where to place your thumbs unless you hold your thumb on the screen for an overly long period of time, but they aren’t necessary at all. The developers made an intelligent decision to not have these indicators on the screen because it frees up precious screen real-estate.

To move your character, simply glide one thumb back and forth to create a swaying motion, then release. Grab hold with the next hand by placing your other thumb down on the screen. The object is to keep a solid swaying motion going forward, otherwise you have to build up steam to get moving again. The concept sounds simple, but getting used to the controls may be difficult for some.

Unlockables

When you initially launch the game, you are only given a single character. As you progress through the game, you are given the opportunity to take different paths through different environments with your final goal being to unlock every character and level available. If you are talented enough, there are 25 different levels to unlock and explore, and 10 different characters to utilize. When the game initially launched on February 23rd, there were only 15 levels with 7 total characters. In this short time Illusion Labs was able to churn out all sorts of new content and we can hopefully expect even more in the future.

Longevity

Besides spending time unlocking new levels and characters, you will be asked to complete levels in the shortest amount of time possible while collecting stars. Before starting each level, there is a list of three possible medals that are obtainable. For example, to achieve a gold medal in a level, you may be required to collect 20 stars in under five minutes. As the game progresses, obtaining these medals becomes more and more difficult, but it gives you a reason to keep coming back to the game.

Breakdown

The Good:

I have to start again with the controls here. The worst part about reviewing this game is that some people may not agree with my absolute love for the controls. Yes, there is a learning curve, but that’s the point of gaming on the iPhone. Sway is the fantastic game that it is because of the controls, without them it would be just another throwaway title. So, to those who consider the game too difficult to control I say, keep trying! It will eventually come come to you, I promise.

The graphics are overly cute, especially the character models. Each character has their own distinct look that will allow you to enjoy some more than others. The other great

thing about the characters is that they have different attributes. The shorter armed characters are able to speed through levels while the long armed ones are for the novice players to get used to the game mechanics.

The game has quite a variety of different obstacles to conquer. Some levels require you to find keys, jump long gaps, avoid spinning spikes, and basically everything in between. You are allowed to explore every nook and cranny that you can physically reach, allowing some levels to take up to 15 minutes to complete.

The Bad:

I don’t have many bad things to share about Sway because it’s that good. The only glaring omission is that you can’t share your experience with friends. Sway doesn’t contain any multiplayer elements, nor does it have a way to share scores or medals. A simple leaderboard or even the dreaded “email scores to friends” feature would easily fix this problem.

Verdict

It’s all about the controls! Ok, now that you are well aware Sway is all about the controls, go purchase it. This is the type of game the iPhone was built to run. I wish more developers attempted to go out on a limb to give us the most unique gaming experience possible. Sway is absolutely one of the best titles available at the App Store, and you would be doing yourself a disservice as an iPhone gamer not to give this one a try.