After my Zune (yes I had a Zune, and I liked it too) inexplicably broke last week, I decided it was a good time to upgrade to an Ipod Touch, mainly because I use my MP3 player all the time and I didn't want to go long without one. Podcasts are often what I use to kill my traveling time. Having a mobile web browser has been my favorite new feature, but I was excited from the start to try what is probably the best game available on the Apps Store, Rolando after hearing some hype for it on a couple of podcasts (1up FM and 1up Yours).
I wasn't disappointed. I'm only half way through the game, but I feel confident in saying that Rolando is a game that can easily compete with some of the best DS and PSP titles out there. It's becasue Rolando is built from the ground up to make good use of the platform that its on. Gameply consists of tilting the IPod to roll your Rolando through simple, sparsely-textured 2D platforming environments while solving puzzles that make sense and (so far at least) lack frustration. The only other way to manipulate your Rolandos is to make an upwards swipe anywhere on the screen to make them jump, which works well enough. The best part about Rolando is that it could only work on an IPod touch/phone, and that it can be played in real short chunks, or for longer sessions if you desire. This is crucial for a succesful IPhone game, where the best time to play is usually when your just trying to kill a few minutes. You can exit the game at any time and be sure that it'll auto save and start back up right where you left off.
Yes, Rolando is a straight up stylistic rip-off of PSP's LocoRoco, which i played only a little, but as far as I can tell its a big improvement. An IPhone game this good can get a pass for this artistic theivery this early in the life of the apps store. If other games start to follow Rolando's design philosophies, the IPhone has the potential to be a great, and most importantly, the most convenient mobile gaming platform out there. Next game up: Field Runners.
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