Swat – Review

By
On December 16, 2008

App Type: Uncategorized

Swat – Review

Our rating:

By: Swat

Version #: 1.0

Date Released: 2008-12-05

Developer:

Price: 0.00

User Rating:
12345
Loading...

Let’s just get this out of the way: You won’t be seeing graphical representations of a special squad of policemen here. Instead, you’ll be seeing something more interesting, if you ask me. Flies. Lots of flies. And swat them you must to stay in the game.

While SWAT might seem like your average tap-to-exterminate-poor-living-thing game, a thing or two about it makes it far more enjoyable than, say, that one with the thanksgiving dinner. At the outset, I wasn’t at all excited to check this one out. But for some reason I ended up downloading it. OK, for a couple of reasons actually: One, it’s free (for now, at least) and two, I could just delete it in the highly probable event that I find it not to my liking. So I gave it a try. Tap, tap, tap. Swat, swat, swat. But the highly probable did not happen. I thought the animation was not bad at all. The sound effects were pretty neat, too. And before I knew it, I was already having fun. Lots of fun.

Apparently, you must swat like crazy to go about the game. Swat at least one bug before the time is up to score points and advance to the next level. Pretty simple, right? Not quite. For one, you have to avoid swatting the bees (Yup, them impossibly aerodynamic insects are here as well.) lest you be punished; you’ll hear a rather annoying cry of pain, and as if that’s not enough, any tap you make for the succeeding few seconds won’t do any harm to the bugs and will also stain your screen with the blood of the ill-fated bee you just swatted. Now whoever thought of that little novelty is a genius, except perhaps for the wailing part. Also, avoid swatting the butterflies (They’re here, too!); pinch to pick them off the screen and you’ll be rewarded with something that might be of help, like a flashlight, which you can drag to attract the bugs towards a spot and swat them right there. And if time is just about to run out and the flying frenzy you’re seeing is just making things worse for you, give your iPhone a shake and see what happens.

The home screen gives you only two options. Select ‘New Game’ to start playing at Level 1 or ‘Continue Game’ to start at the level where you finished your last game. Note that there’s no corner marked with ‘Help’ or ‘i’. That’s fine though since instructions pop out once in a while in the game to suggest some useful tips and tricks.

SWAT is one of those few App Store games that I was reluctant at first to install but ended up enjoying a lot. Heck, I’ve even played it in one of my dreams. Maybe it’s because of the well thought-out design. Maybe because it’s simply challenging. Or maybe I’m just weird.

Quick Take

Value: High
Would I Buy Again: Yes
Learning Curve: Low. Picking the bugs off the screen takes some practice though.
Who is it for: People who are looking for another game to get addicted to.
What I like: The novelties the developers managed to throw in.
What I Don’t: The bee’s wailing.

Final Statement: A familiar game with some great twists.

Read the Developer's Notes:
FOR A LIMITED TIME: Swat is being offered for free, download your copy now!

Flies, flies, flies; there's flies everywhere. Your job is to kill as many flies as you can by swatting them with your finger, and you need to do it before the timer runs out on you. Just make sure you don't kill the bees by mistake, because they will punish you.

HINT: when you see butterflies, don't swat them. Try picking them off the screen with your two fingers and see what help you may get!
O U R   T A K E . . .

Article By

drin has written 22 awesome app reviews.