Kung Pow Granny Isn't Your Average Granny
Kung Pow Granny ($0.99) by Bluefir Media is the new Tilt to Live. This Granny has to survive, and you're going to steer her to victory.
Now, I’m sure that when you think of a granny, you first think of a fragile old lady that may need help quite often. Not this granny! This is Grandmaster Granny, and she has the mad Kung Fu skills that we all wish we had. And she’s in a deadly battle against Reapers, Ghosty, and Rocky. There isn’t much else to the story besides that, but there doesn’t need to be.
The controls are as easy as they come — just tilt your device around to move Granny across the screen. There are no buttons to deal with, so this game can be played even with one hand. I found that the tilt control is incredibly smooth and fluid, and I had no problems with it. If the default tilt setting (Regular) is not working for you, there are two other options to choose from: Top-Down and Sleepy.
If you prefer to not use tilt controls, there is the option of enabling a virtual joystick on either the left or right side. It’s not a fixed position either, which means that the joystick will move to where your finger is.
When you begin a game, it will give you two difficulty levels to choose from: Novice and Master. If you haven’t played this type of game before, or want to start off gradually, then I recommend the Novice setting. Enemies will appear slowly but pick up the pace as time goes by. For those that want a real challenge, then you can’t go wrong with the Master difficulty. Master will toss you right into the fray with dozens of enemies from the start.
Each game will feature one of three unique arenas, which will soon fill up with Reapers and other enemies. You will have to move Granny around to avoid touching any enemies. It’s one of those easy-to-learn-difficult-to-master types.
But how does Granny defeat these guys if she can’t touch them? With power-ups, of course! You’ll have a wide variety of weaponry at your disposal: auto-targeting thunder balls, ice and fire storms, gun turrets, deadly canes, and many more. Move around quickly and carefully to grab these items and use them to your advantage. Prepare to be in awe as you see chaos erupt as you gather power-ups in quick succession.
After an enemy is defeated, they will leave behind coins (these can also appear randomly). The coins will only remain on the screen for a brief amount of time, so get them before they vanish! They are used in the Stash to purchase upgrades, new power-ups, and single-use items like the Quick Revive.
The game ends if an enemy comes in contact with Granny. However, if you have a Quick Revive item, there is a brief grace period to activate it, which will nuke all enemies on the screen and allow you to start anew with your current score. The final score will be how many creatures you defeated and how long you last. Game Center is integrated for leaderboards and achievements.
I was a big fan of Tilt to Live, but I think Kung Pow Granny just took its place. This game oozes with beautiful Retina graphics, delightful music, and fun sound effects. I'll never get enough of Granny doing a crazy, maniacal laugh as she sits and commandeers a Doom Gun turret. Seriously, I think I can play this game for hours on end — yes, it's that fun, and quite addictive.
This is a must-have title for your iPhone and iPad. It’s a casual game that fits both casual players as well as the hardcore gamers that want a challenge.
I’ll definitely be playing this for a while, so if you want to compare scores with me, feel free to add me (christyxcore) on Game Center.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to Granny as she “pwns” those silly Reapers.
