Each week, the OWC Blog staff pick a free application from the iTunes App Store to review. This week’s iPhone/iPod Touch app is Space Monkey: Free by Glu Games.
App Description:
“Out of this world.” – PocketGamer, Silver Award, 8/10. Do your part and help Space Monkey keep our cosmos clean! Face off against big, bad space enemies who just want to keep the cosmos cluttered
Take this award-winning action-puzzle game for a spin!
Do your part and help Space Monkey keep our cosmos clean! Grab, dodge and deflect a nearly endless barrage of space junk…batteries, coffee cups, yo-yos, toilet paper rolls and much, much more! Snatch up rubbish and score huge points! Face off against big, bad space enemies who just want to keep the cosmos cluttered.
Features
– Over 60 levels, 5 galaxies and 2 challenge sectors
– Master more than 20 junk collecting techniques and hazards
– Battle 6 space bosses determined to trash the galaxy
– New gallery mode with pre-production artwork and free wallpapers
Recommended for fans of casual games like: Tetris, Enigmo, Spore, Cro-Mag Rally and fans of really cute monkeys!
OWC Chris’s Review
To be honest, this game ran a little hot and cold for me. The first thing you see when you start up is an intro movie (which seems to play via the YouTube app) which runs about a 15 seconds. This is cool and all, except that it launches every time the app does. Sure it may be only 15 seconds, but I’m also one who stands in front of the microwave muttering “Come on…” to the thing. It would have been nice to have an option to turn this off.
As for the game itself, it is remarkably well-executed. Graphics, though a little cartoony for my tastes, are quite easy to recognize and fit in with the game well. Game play is simple – just spin the monkey around to catch, deflect and/or avoid the various bits of space junk floating about.
Overall, I really can’t find too much wrong with this game. While “family friendly” games often wind up about as dull as collecting pocket lint, this is one that is actually entertaining at the same time.
Final Verdict: If you want a game that’s playable by all ages, this is one to look into.
OWC Michael’s Review
For us, this game has it all. When you think Other World, you think “space.” When you think about our operations, you think “green.” And when you think about OWC Grant, you think monkeys (yeah, a bit of an inside joke – but we’ve let our readers in on it before).
This is a very entertaining game that gets quite challenging as you progress in levels. Basically, you’re a floating monkey in space picking up some space junk. The monkey itself in basically in two configurations, either a + or an x with each point being a hand or a foot. As space junk floats into the screen from the edges or the corners, you align the monkey to catch the junk. Sounds easy, huh? It is at first.
But as the game progresses, now you have to avoid junk that will harm monkey by allowing it to pass by you without catching it- like batteries. And if too many come at once, you can spin the monkey to deflect the harmful junk – just don’t spin too long or monkey gets dizzy and it’s hard for monkey to see if he gets sick in his space helmet.
As you’re picking and choosing which moves need to be made to collect the good junk and avoid or deflect the bad junk the game adds more challenges – like having to hold onto a yo-yo in one hand. If the hand with the yo-yo is used, monkey loses the yo-yo and you lose the level.
Overall: Hours of entertainment are ready to be had here as the challenges get greater and the speed goes faster. All-in-all a well done game for people of all ages.
OWC Grant’s Review
Like most reviews, I tend to let OWC Chris and OWC Mike hit the salient points of the play and game. I prefer the “kid factor” or the little things that jump out at me as being humorous, unique, or related to the game theme. The intro sequence had Morgan, Logan, and me giggling like crazy. The monkey gets rather rudely kicked out of the space shuttle to collect garbage. Kinda like Wall-e gone bad. And boy, if someone can translate monkey, those screeches would likely get beeped out on network channels! The animation was super high quality for a free app…the best I’ve seen thus far.
I rate game apps on how easy they are to play without reading any kind of “rules” as well as how much the game captures your interest. Space Monkey is excellent in those criteria. After the intro, you simply start to play. And as you progress, helpful notes pop up on how to play the next level. And even if you don’t progress…because maybe you’ve shocked the monkey too many times with the batteries…you still are having more fun than a barrel full of monkeys.
As I’ve mentioned in past game app reviews, the ultimate gauge I used to measure the app by is how much my kids argue about whose turn it is next. When a fairly good struggle ensued over how Logan tried to take the Touch away from Morgan, I felt yelling “it’s a madhouse” was a better idea lecturing them about inappropriate hand use.
Yea or Nay: A big YEA for this…fun, entertaining, challenging…all for free? The only challenge is to keep Logan from sneaking a finger in on my play to make the monkey turn green faced then barf in his helmet. There should be a counter built into the game for that as I suspect many 8 year old boys will also find that equally hilarious.
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