Alien Axis – Review
By App Type: Uncategorized
Our rating: 
By: Hurryforward Ltd
Version #: 1.0
Date Released: 2009-12-17
Developer:
Price: 0.99
User Rating:
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Alien Axis is yet another game that takes advantage of the iPhone platform’s innovative touch and tilt features. The back-story of the game is quite simple: It involves a little green alien called Otto, who is stuck within a set of labyrinthine rooms. Being the helpful iPhone gamer that you are, with a soft spot for cute and innocuous extraterrestrial creatures, you are more than glad to take on the role of Otto as he teleports from level to level until he finally escapes from the treacherous environs of Planet X laboratories.
To do just that–to teleport from level to level–you must learn how to strategically move around and manipulate gravity within the game so as to eventually end up where the teleporting device is located. Tap anywhere to the left/right of Otto to make him move to the left/right, tap anywhere above him to make him jump, and tilt your device a full 90 degrees to rotate the gravitational orientation.
The said controls are very intuitive, but as is the case with most adventure games for the iPhone, a little practice is called for to really get used to them. Guiding Otto around the levels and altering the in-game gravity proved at first to be a clumsy affair for me, but as I progressed from one level to another, more difficult level, my mastery of the controls and the gameplay techniques improved–albeit certainly not dramatically, since I still find myself failing a couple of times first before I succeed at teleporting to the next level. Don’t get me wrong, though. This is not me complaining about how poorly the game was thought up and programmed (It wasn’t). This is, in fact, me appreciating a game that at first glance looks to be one that only kids would play and enjoy, but, what with the inclusion of electric rays to avoid and contraptions to solve, later turns out to be a decent and challenging puzzle adventure game geared towards people who fancy wearing their thinking caps as they take on the role of a little green alien.
Quick Take
Value:Medium.
Would I Buy Again:Yes. Probably.
Learning Curve:A bit high. In-game tutorials are included but some practice is quite necessary.
Who Is It For:People who enjoy puzzle adventure games that utilize both the iPhone's touch and tilt capabilities for their controls.
What I Like:The increasingly difficult levels. The next level is unlocked as soon as you solve the current level you're in.
What I Don't Like:The responsiveness of the game to the touch and tilt controls needs improvement and the graphics could use some more polish.
Final Statement:Alien Axis is no Avatar on the visual level, but it's a hit on the gameplay department.
