iPad App BreakDown: Gomi HD
Gomi HD ($4.99) by Kevin Calderone is a platformer that combines the gravity planet pulling of Super Mario Galaxy with the eating bigger and bigger objects of Katamari. You play as a little red ball, and your goal is to clean up the world from all the garbage and structures of civilization which is destroying nature.
The game itself: Gomi HD is the same game as the iPhone version so automatically that means it’s an amazing experience. It’s so great rolling around collecting all kinds of man- made objects to clean up the environment. The gameplay is simply phenomenal, in every level you have to start by eating small things working your way up to eating larger things while the entire time you try to keep your combo alive.
Consecutively eaten items build your combo which increase your score greatly which will be necessary to compete on the included online highs scores. The game is absolutely loaded with things to do maybe giving you the most content for price in the App Store. There are eight different worlds to clean with four levels and one boss battle per world.
The game includes a great environmentally friendly theme as you roll around cleaning up garbage, old cars, fires, and even oil spills. The game has a great theme on top of the great gameplay making it even that much more enjoyable. Also included is completely hand drawn artwork which is quite enjoyable to see.
One thing to really improve the game would be for Gomi to roll just a tad bit faster. With the wider perspective it seems Gomi rolls even slower which is quite frustrating when trying to keep your combo alive. The game is still good at the slower pace, but it could be so much better with a little bit faster rolling.
With the tilt mechanic you barely need to tilt your iPad for Gomi to roll, and it only rolls at one speed. You’ll find yourself wanting to tilt more to go faster, but it’s not possible. It’s easy to jump from planet to planet by tapping anywhere on screen, and the gravity of the respective planets does the rest.
Gomi HD features a wider perspective to see more of a level as you’re rolling around to make it easier to see the best path to continue your combo as well as collect the last remaining objects, and see the flower in race mode. The artwork isn’t the finest, but it looks much sharper than the iPhone version.
Overall Gomi HD is one of the best platformers, and one of the better games overall. It gives you tons to do with outstanding gameplay, and a great theme that will having you enjoying every minute of it. It’s a must buy for $4.99.
If you own the iPhone version: If you already won the iPhone version there is no new content for the iPad version. If you’ve beaten the whole game there’s no reason to play it again. If you haven’t beaten the game it’s a brand new experience on the iPad with the wider perspective.
It’s so much more enjoyable as you can see such a considerable amount of the level while rolling along while the iPhone perspective barely gives you any of your surroundings. The new perspective makes the game more pleasurable, and worth picking up even if you own the iPhone version as long as you haven’t beaten the entire game.
If you only own an iPad: If you only own an iPad you may have noticed the lack of any platformers for the iPad. There aren’t many games with depth like a platformer, but luckily Gomi has come to the iPad to bring at least one game.
This game gives you way more than your money’s worth with hours and hours of enjoyable content for only $4.99, and a must buy.
If you never bought the iPhone version: If you never bought the iPhone version you have missed out on a real winner. It’s one of the best platformers out there for only $2.99. Read our full review to help you decide.
