Get Ready For Some Mayhem With This Challenging Platformer
Project: Mayhem ($0.99) by OneSmartBunny, LLC is one platformer that will take an incredible amount of skill.
I've definitely been in the mood for platformers lately, after becoming quite addicted to Mikey Shorts, which also earned our Game of the Week title. So when I saw Project: Mayhem in the App Store, I had to give it a try.
In Project: Mayhem, you will control Mayhem, who is a biologically engineered weapon of mass destruction. Yep, you read that correctly. You are a living, breathing, weapon of destruction. Sounds interesting already, doesn’t it? Your objective will be to escape the evil clones and his own creator, who is a mad scientist, of course.
There are two game modes: Adventure and Conquest. With Adventure, you will follow through the story of Mayhem while learning gameplay basics. Each level will add a new element that you must master if you ever want to get through Conquest. So what’s in Conquest mode? Many levels that will test your skills with games of this genre. Be warned — a lot of patience is required.
The goal for all levels in Adventure and Conquest is to get from point A to point B as fast as you can, while avoiding all obstacles that are in your way. Obstacles will include spikes that sometimes drop, electric barriers, evil blobs, and more. One touch from any of these and our little green friend will die. Project: Mayhem has four different medals to award players, depending on how swiftly they clear the level. You can also earn Mayhem Bucks, which can be spent in the store for accessories, gadgets, future level packs, and more.
The controls are rather simple, though I definitely don't think they are done as well as Mikey Shorts. The bottom half of the screen will be used for controls, and it is divided into four sections. On the left half, you will have a space for moving Mayhem left or right, and the right half has buttons to duck and jump.
There are different game mechanics that you can enable when they are available, such as the wall jump and double jump. The game is not clear when you can use these, though, so if you notice that you can’t get past a part of a level normally, then see if you can enable these.
The graphics feature a retro look, and the music is fast-paced, just like the game. The gameplay of Project: Mayhem reminds me more of Super Meat Boy though, instead of Mikey Shorts. I think that's because the gameplay becomes difficult rather quickly, and you will most likely be playing levels several times (or way more) before you can get past them. The levels early on won't be much of a challenge, but the later ones will make you think of a plan before rushing in.
Currently, the Shop does not have much content available besides accessories. The developers have left a note saying that more content is coming soon in an update, so be on the lookout for it. Additionally, if you like to see how good you are (or how bad), you can view your game profile for statistics, such as how many jumps you have made, deaths you’ve had, and more. There is also Game Center integration for leaderboards and achievements. One thing that bothered me was how a few of the achievements only give you one point on your Game Center profile — couldn’t you at least give me a bit more for my efforts?
If arduous platformers are your thing, then you will want to check out Project: Mayhem. It’s only $0.99, so the price is right.
