Review: Chuck Gnome - Ready, Aim, Chuck Gnome!
by Staff Writer
August 4, 2010
Overview
It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a flying gnome. We've always had a special affinity for gnomes whether it's the ones in the yard or the Travelocity one. Now you can slingshot gnomes at different targets in a carnival style shooter with a 2.5D twist, and storybook theme.
Features
There are six different themed levels that have you progressing from the clouds downward to the dungeon featuring a full size dragon. You unlock new levels by hitting key targets which appear after hitting certain sets though you don't know what those are. You simply pull back, aim and launch the endless supply of gnomes, and you can tilt to see more of the level.The Good
This game is classic carnival shooter fun that takes advantage of the iPhone nicely. It's plenty simple to launch gnomes in quick succession with pretty good accuracy, and then you can tilt your device to see different angles of the level. Saying the game is fast paced is an understatement as you only have 100 seconds to score as much as possible, and trying to hit the set that gets you the unlock key.
The game presents a mechanic where you have to constantly decide to launch as quickly as possible or to go for more accuracy to make a string of consecutive hits for a combo. You will face all types of moving targets from the traditional bulls-eyes to birds, ogres, fireballs, demons, and dragons. Each level presents a different challenge based on the target sizes, the formations they move in, and the obstacles that appear.
Being 2.5D means there are layers in the levels so there can be a hill or cloud in front of the ones you’re shooting at which block your gnomes. This increases the challenge as if it wasn't tough enough to hit the moving targets especially the ones at high speeds and bouncing around. To add even more to the challenge there are targets off the main screen so you'll need to tilt to get to them adding more to think about, and more to do.
The game offers plenty of replayability as its plenty simple and engaging to play over and over like a quality casual endless game. Then you'll want to play until you unlock the new level which will take multiple retries, and there are six varied levels to play and unlock. OpenFeint is also included for online high scores and achievements adding a little more incentive to replay.
The artwork is fabulous, and the amount of quality packed into every detail of the game is worth commending. The animations are great as well with the launching of the gnomes until they smack into a solid surface. Also as you progress in some levels the entire look changes piece by piece giving you brand new visuals effortlessly switching in 100 seconds.
The Bad
Unlocking the later levels is a real challenge mostly because you have no clue what you’re aiming for. If becomes frustrating after you play a level a few times, scoring a whole bunch only to be none the wiser on getting the key. This repeats for each level, and sadly most will give up before unlocking the later levels. A better unlock system is desperately needed so everyone can enjoy every level, or at least some type of hint system after a few replays of a particular level. Although the levels have a lot of variability it's still the same pull back, aim, and fire mechanic over and over in a carnival style shooter. The gnomes seem to hit the different layers more often than they should, and even when it looks like they will clear for sure.
The controls aren't the most precise you've seen, and they take a bit to get used to. There will be times you miss when you know it's because you couldn't control the height of your launch properly. Tilting to see more of the level becomes a hassle after the novelty wears off, and it requires you to tilt excessively to pick up. Also it's never a completely straight look, and the camera is jiggling as much as you are holding the idevice.
