Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief
By App Type: Uncategorized
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Version #: 1.0
Date Released: 2010-02-20
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Price: 0.99
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When I was younger, I was a fan of the "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" books. Now in my early twenties, I guess I just haven’t outgrown my inclination towards young adult and children’s fantasy. Perhaps I may never will, which is all good. Nothing wrong with giving in to a little childlike meandering, I always say. And I’m afforded exactly that with fantasy worlds such as that of the Percy Jackson series, with its imagined universe where Greek mythology is no myth at all. So when I found out that the first installment in the series, "Percy Jackson and then Olympians: The Lightning Thief," was going to be adapted to film, I was, to say the least, stoked. The film came out recently and I must say I quite liked it. Then later on I found out about the iPhone game based on the film. At $0.99, the game found its way to my device faster than I can say, "Oh my demigod!" As it turned out, I got to finish the game also in no time.
Percy Jackson, the lead character in the series, happens to be a demigod. He is the son of a mortal woman and a Greek god–Poseidon, no less. Being the offspring of the god of the seas, he has the ability to control water. And this is where the iPhone game got its premise for its gameplay. The developer practically just set out to find a ready-made game that involves water, instantly thought of the classic Pipes game where you configure the layout of pipes in order to make water flow properly from one end to another, and, voila, you have the "Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief" iPhone game.
The game has a total of ten levels of increasing difficulty, but none of them are so difficult as to make you want to pull your hair out in frustration. In fact, given how polished the graphics look, the pipe puzzles come off surprisingly easy, especially when you apply the trick of arranging pipes starting with the end pipe (where the water is supposed to end up in) instead of traditionally starting with, well, the starting pipe (where the water will originate). You have several seconds to figure out the correct arrangement of the pipes, by tapping on each to make them rotate, before the water reaches the opening valve and begins to flow through the pipes. The water must not flow through pipes with an open end lest the level be unsolved.
The ten levels are divided into four themes based on the places Percy Jackson and his friends traveled to during their quest: Camp Half-Blood, Lotus Hotel & Casino, The Underworld, and Mt. Olympus. When you’ve complete all levels, you will automatically unlock a couple of bonus sections of the app, in addition to the gallery of eight movie wallpapers that is accessible right away. First is the "Which Percy Jackson character are you?" quiz of sorts, which tells you which Greek god you resemble most after you answer a set of simple questions. Second is the Soundboard, which lets you play several sound-bites from the movie spoken by three of the main characters.
All in all, this app is quite good and even fun, if only for a few minutes. For an app that involves really simple gameplay, it was not at all designed haphazardly. But for an app based on a film of Olympic proportions, it should entail embarking on an epic quest rather than merely laying out pipes.
Quick Take
Value:Low
Would I Buy Again:I'm a big fan so I probably would. But if I weren't, I'd probably not. This should be made free.
Learning Curve:If you've played Pipes or a similar game before, zero to low.
Who Is It For:Fans of the books and the movie.
What I Like:The polished graphics.
What I Don't Like:The puzzles are too easy for most to return to playing them.
Final Statement:A fun movie tie-in game, but it deviates much from the epic-ness of the movie it's based on.
-Many challenges lie ahead as you progress from Camp Half Blood to Mt. Olympus.
-Ensure a flow of water from Right to Left before time runs out.
-Pipe pieces turn. Simply tap a piece of pipe to rotate.
-Pipe pieces with open ends will cause water to seep, ending game play. Make certain to plug all open ends.
-Piping connections must be intact before water reaches the release valve.
-Additional pipe pieces and a faster flow of water towards the release valve willchallenge your abilities as game play progresses.After completing all 10 levels you will have the opportunity to answer a questionnaire and determine which god or demigod you resemble. Completing the questionnaire will unlock the soundboard.
You can reset completed levels by tapping the RESET button from the “Choose A Level” screen. Activating the RESET button will not relock the soundboard.
