TOTAL HIT
Like so many iPhone geeks, I'd been waiting for this long-anticipated game to be released and it doesn't disappoint. IGN has a review that puts it in context and explains:
"A few years ago, an oft-asked question at mobile games conferences was,
"Where is mobile's Mario?"
It was essentially shorthand for the eternal
search for the killer app, the game that brings serious heat to the
platform that hosts it. For the NES, that was Super Mario Bros.
For the
Genesis, it was Sonic the Hedgehog. Xbox had Halo. Unfortunately,
mobile never really had a killer app; the closest it got was Tetris or
Bejeweled, both perennial bestsellers. If the iPhone even needs a
killer app is open to debate -- after all, the platform needs little
help getting attention. But now it has one now, whether it wants it or
not.
Rolando,
developed by Hand Circus and published by ngmoco, is a brilliant
puzzle-adventure game, loaded with fab personality. You must save the
pop-up book Rolandoland from an invasion of nasty little shadow
creatures by using your benevolent powers as the deity-like Finger.
(That's what the little roly-poly Rolandos refer to you as.)
You can manipulate objects in the world, such as twisting windmills or releasing bombs from little storage boxes. But the main action is tilting. Since the Rolandos are little balls, you tilt your iPhone from side to side, rolling your friends ever closer to the exit inside each obstacle-filled stage. Each stage has a required number of Rolandos that must escape if you want to unlock the next stage."
This YouTube review of Rolando provides a glimpse of the game in action.
At $9.99 a copy, the App is not inexpensive in the universe of iPhone games. The game has immense amount of replay value, and comes with a music soundtrack that I'd buy separately if available. Available only on the iPhone and the iPod Touch, it's a game I'd highly recommend.
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