The AppStore is a hub for retro gaming goodness. Gamers in their 20’s and 30’s have been buying their childhood back a couple bucks at a time, and we couldn’t be happier about it. Eggcode’s latest game, Pixel Ghost, is their first addition to the retro platforming genre, and it brings with it some interesting mechanics. Pixel Ghost is not your traditional left and rightplusjump button platformer, instead, you drag the screen, moving the level left and right, while your character bounces off of the floors and ceilings of the stage. This may sound like heresy to NES era gamers, but Eggcode has taken some pretty big risks while putting Pixel Ghost together, and it works out surprisingly well.
The graphics are great, and very well done. Eggcode has decided to put the game inside of a TV screen, inside of your iPod screen, and since the iPod screen isn’t as big as the game’s TV screen, the game pans up and down depending on where your ghost is, to show more of the level. This risk with the graphics has paid off. It really adds to the retro feel of the game, and doesn’t hurt the gameplay at all. There’s also blocks that trail your ghost as it moves through the levels. They don’t do anything, but they look very cool, and I think were a nice addition to the graphics. The controls, swiping left and right to move the level, work surprisingly well, and are actually veryaccurate. They didn’t feel quite right at first, and I’m still hoping that they add some buttons to move the level in a future update, but after playing the game for a while, it does grow on you.
There’s plenty of hazards to keep you on your toes as you move throughout the worlds, trying to make it to the blue X at the end of each level. Spikes, guns, birds, blocks that disappear after you bounce on them once, and holes in the floor and ceiling. But there’s also some power-ups that will help you manage the tougher parts, like invincibility, and additions to your clock to help you grab a higher score. Coins litter the levels, and are also a major part of getting that huge score. Getting them all in each level will drain your clock, and prove to be quite a challenge, but it’s worth it if you’re trying to max out your score on a level. This would be more of a driving force ifGameCenter or OpenFeint were added to the game, but as it stands now, you’ll just be trying to beat your own scores on each of the levels. Hopefully an online leaderboard will be added in the future, but some might see this omission a pretty big oversight on the part of the developers.
Even with what some people might consider bad decisions on the developers side, this game is really surprisingly good. The graphics are, and work out, great, and the controls work out very well. It’s a pretty solid entry to the retro platforming genre, and a game that you won’t want to miss out on if you’re a fan. The soundtrack is also very nice, and adds to the retro feel of the whole game. For $0.99 it’s another buck you’ll be happy you spent trying to buy back your childhood memories. 25 challenging levels spread across 5 worlds will keep you busy for a while, especially if you’re interested in getting every coin in every level. I’m giving it 4 out of 5 stars, and recommend it to anyone who’s looking for a good challenging game.
Climber Brothers is a new adventure game from Esquilax Games. You play as brothersGreg and Jeff, who are searching for a hidden fortune in the castle of Screamville. Being retired, and out of shape, they need your help to find it. Climber Brothers has 63 levels spanning through 3 different mountains. Each mountian having its own hazards and challenges. The goal of each level is to collect 2 coins, 1 diamond, and get both brothers to the ledge with the tent without dying. Scoring is pretty basic; You get 1000 points for each coin that you collect, 2000 points for getting the diamond, a time bonus, 500 points for each brother you get onto the ledge with the tent, and 1000 points for having both brothers land on the final ledge at the same time. There are 4 GameCenter leaderboards; one for each mountain, and one for the combined score of all the levels. There’s also 12 achievements you can try and get if you’re up for the challenge. It’s also a Universal build!
The controls in Climber Brothers are simple enough, tap and hold on the right side to make Jeff hook and hold onto the side of the mountain, and tap and hold on the left side of the screen to make Greg hook and hold onto the side of the mountain. The brothers are connected with a rope, and swing back and forth until you hook them into the mountain. You can hold on both sides of the screen to hook both of them at the same time. There’s some pretty funky obstacles throughout the levels, like clouds that you can hook on to that carry you to other parts of the level, fog that eats you, ice blowers that turn you into an ice cube and snowballs that fall down at you from the top of the screen. Making your way through the obstacles is another addition to the challenge, and a very tough one at that. Having to try a level more than a couple times is not a rarity while playing Climber Brothers, and that kind of challenge sits pretty well with me.
The graphics are very polished, which was surprising coming a developing studio who’s previous games were card, and tic-tac-toe games. The gameplay is also very smooth, and entertaining. Esquilax Games has shown that they’re ready to give gamers high quality games, and better yet, at the AppStore selling price. $0.99 will get you a good amount of gameplay, and if you’re up for a challenge, look no further, because Climber Brothers will give it to you. It really is an awesome first real game by Esquilax, and I’m very excited to see what they’re going to bring us in the future. I’m giving Climber Brothers a 4.5 out of 5. 
