Uncut The Rope And Help Z Get Back To His Spaceship In StringZ-HD
StringZ-HD ($1.99) by WingzStudio, Lda is a new physics puzzler that looks and feels very familiar. "Z" the alien has gotten stuck on a satellite, far from his spaceship, and it's up to you (isn't it always?) to help him out.
StringZ will probably remind you of Chillingo's Cut the Rope, and it should. The two games are very similar. The main difference here is that instead of cutting ropes, you're creating them out of thin air.
Each level has Z stuck in a robotic claw at the top of the screen, while his spaceship is all the way at the bottom. Between the two are any number of obstacles: spinning moons, angry bombs, rotating platforms, ominous black holes and deadly lasers.
To help guide Z around said obstacles, you have two tools at your disposal: string and elastic. String acts like any old platform, and Z will roll according to the angle at which you place it. Elastic acts more like a rubberband, bouncing Z all over the place.
The gameplay is simple enough. You place pieces of string and elastic at various angles around the level, hit a button to release Z and hope he falls safely into his spaceship.
You can make your string and/or elastic any length you choose, simply by dragging your finger across the screen, but you only have a finite amount of each per level. You will need to budget accordingly, and you receive more points for using less string.
There are also three stars to collect on each level. You don't need them to complete the level, but you need a certain number of them to unlock each planet, so you'll want to try to get as many as possible. This is where the real challenge of StringZ comes into play.
Along the path you've devised for Z, there will probably be a star, maybe even two. But that third one? That third one is tucked away somewhere on the other side of the level, daring you to collect it. You may scoff at the idea but, I assure you, it is tough. Two stars will even be a challenge on many of the levels.
On top of the simple physics, once you get to the second planet, lasers that intermittently activate will be scattered throughout the levels. This ramps up the challenge by adding a timing factor to when you release Z. Getting that third star will be the least of your worries at this point.
The graphics are clean and cute, and the physics work pretty well, but StringZ doesn't have quite the level of polish found in other games of this genre. It also doesn't really bring much new to the table.
That being said, if you're still looking for a real challenge at a decent price tag, you might want to check this one out.
