Pros
* Great Price point ($0.99)
* Trajectory is spot-on
* Puzzle solving is very inventive
Cons
* Glitches can sometimes happen when two birds fall into the same nest
* Music gets redundant
* Puzzle solving can be frustrating
Lucky Birds City is a game for the iOS that on the surface may have some resemblance to a certain game where the protagonists seem upset and are of an ornithological persuasion, but it is in fact quite different, mostly in terms of setting and puzzle-solving style.
Presentation : A
Graphics / Animation / Sound
Lucky Birds City is laid out simple enough for anyone to pick up and play. You have a title screen with ‘Play’ and ‘Settings’ to choose from. The designers did a good job of making the game have a lot of content without cluttering up your screen. The hi-res objects in the game you are meant to focus on stand out well and look great. The background of the game is faded enough to provide depth, but yet not draw your focus away from your objective.
What few animations the game does contain are well done. For instance moving clouds or a slow flying blimp add to the feel of the game and give a sense that you are high on telephone wires or poles. The birds themselves will bounce around, flap their wings, or roll their eyes if you shake them around too much. It all adds a nice simplistic touch, to help bring the content alive, but yet not distract you from the main goal of figuring out the puzzle.
The sound in the game is appropriate, but does get annoying, and can even become distracting. I found myself turning it down, then off later when i would get stuck on a level for a long time. The sound effects in the game correspond well with the action you are trying to perform, and the birds are not just limited to making whistling sounds.
Single Player : A
Game mechanics / Length / difficulty
The goal of this game is pretty simple, but not always easily accomplished. You are trying to get birds of different size, shapes and colors into their nest before nightfall. The instructions are in-game, and tell you what is going on while you do it. In the upper left corner there is a quarter circle that represents the time you have left before the sun goes down. It is not a timer, it is a graph to represent how many moves you have left to accomplish getting your bird in the nest. Next to the graph, there is a fraction. For instance, in the very first level it says “6/1”. That means to get the best score, it should only take one move, but they’ll allow 6 moves. If you take more than the first number in the fraction, in this case 6, the sun goes down and POOF your gone. You literally explode and then start over. There is another fraction next to it, and it indicates bonuses, which are usually four-leaf clovers. The first number is how many bonuses you have gotten in the level, the second number is how many there are in that level. It is important to get most, if not all of the bonuses, as that is how you unlock further sections in the game.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAsXWC6GAkw]
The mechanics work very well, the trajectory system in the game is spot on, which is crucial because it’s the main part of the game. The birds show a trajectory path when they are being pulled, and at first I thought this made the game too easy. I quickly found out it is a crucial part that comes in handy when the going gets tough…and believe me it gets tough.
As you progress, the game builds on itself as some birds or bonuses have small timers above their heads, making getting your bird home in the first try crucial. It’s a trial and error game where in further levels you must aim your bird through small gaps or around obstructions with spikes. The degree of difficulty that increases with the levels is appropriate and diverse, adding replay to the challenge.
The game has many levels which you can go back and play once beaten to retrieve bonuses you may have missed or need to open the next section. There are currently 3 sections with 30 sections each, and room at the top for more to come. You won’t have a problem finding some level to replay.
Multiplayer : –
Game mechanics / features / Online features
This is not a multiplayer game.
Replay Value : B
Lasting appeal / Bonus Content / DLC
Lucky Bird City is very easy to pick up and learn, and jump in and out of when needed. There are plenty of easy, challenging, or just plain fun levels to replay. The great physics in the game make playing through the levels capable of multiple strategies to reach your end goal. This game seems to have more levels coming, as there are more pre-loaded sections ready to be filled.
This really is a great game, especially for the price point. It provides great entertainment, and interesting puzzles that anyone can pick up and play.
Overall : A
