Review: Herman The Hermit - Help The Crazy Guy Cross The Mountain Peaks
by Staff Writer
February 24, 2011
When you live alone in the Himalayan Mountains you tend to become a little crazy. You also have the chance to meditate for years on end. At least that’s the case for Herman the Hermit who has finally snapped. In a fit of insanity he’s bounding across platforms in the sky.
It’s your job to launch Herman from platform to platform for as long as you can. You drag your finger to where you want Herman to land. The platforms are constantly moving horizontally and vertically. You will need to be precise with your aim, and power to get Herman across the platforms.
The game is another in a slew of endless survival adventures. Unlike others if you miss a platform you don’t lose a life. It’s a race against the clock, so missing a platform only slows you down. The game just feels less challenging when you can miss multiple platforms in a row with not much harm done.
Your goal is to make it as far as you can in the given time interval. You can gain time by jumping over a few platforms. You always have a chance to extend your play session to travel further, and score more. Herman The Hermit is entirely score based so it’s good that there are multiple ways to score.
Your score is mainly based on distance traveled. Every platform you land on also gives you points. When you land on consecutive platforms you earn a chain bonus so each platform is worth more. There is the constant choice of continuing your chain of platforms or making a riskier jump to skip platforms and pick up time.
The power-ups help that choice a lot. There are score and time bonuses as well as a rocket and teleporter. The rocket gives you distance, and the teleporter builds your chain. The game is excellently designed with great retina quality graphics. The various animations of jumping and power-ups are enjoyable each time.
Game Center leader boards are included, but no achievements. The replay factor is a big question mark for this game. The basic gameplay is enjoyable, but there just isn’t much depth. After playing a couple of times you will have had your fill of the game. There is nothing to keep you playing.
Herman The Hermit ($0.99, Universal) is a fun little distraction. The problem is that it’s so little in scope. There is practically no variation from game to game. An alternate mode or any type of change of pace would be so beneficial. As it stands this is just another of many that’s worth skipping.
