Video: Zen Bound by Secret Exit
July 28th, 2009 / Category: Accelerometer, Addictive, Puzzle, Watch It, Worth ItReview by: Christopher Dambroso
Casual games for the iPhone/iPodTouch generally get a bad rap IMO, mostly due to the hampered control scheme. With the control layout constraining the game play of most genres, these casual games need to present themselves as being fresh or intuitive up front to stave off being deleted after the first run. I feel that Shift Lite by Armor Games has done a great job and is the very first game I downloaded for my iPhone months ago that I still play.
In the game your character is a test subject (#32763) or a secret agency recruit, which somewhat reminds me of the Flash based Portal game for the PC that came out a few years ago. Music for the game is all instrumental and reminds me of a LA Noire or SPY vs SPY mood.
It’s a “puzzle platformer” wherein your character begins at one side of the screen and needs to reach a doorway, usually located at the other side. The controls are simple and well laid out, there is a left direction button along with a right direction button and you press both at the same time to jump. All you need is two solid gaming thumbs and your set to go. The twist to the game is in the name itself, which is the “SHIFT” button. Pressing this button vertically flips your character into the platform below, causing the screen to rotate presenting your character standing up right. Think of it as if you were standing on water in the middle of your backyard pool, hit the “SHIFT” button and now the bottom of the pool is your ceiling and your feet are on the opposite side of the surface edge.
Shift Lite makes use of the accelerometer and engages by taking over the “SHIFT” mechanic which to me seems like a cheap thrill, but it’s still an extra effort by the developers so they get a bonus point on that.
Game play for Shift: I enjoy this video since it actually shows the gamer using his thumbs during the preview.
Download Shift Lite from iTunes. The full version is only $0.99 that grants you an additional 25 levels of SHIFT greatness, which I would strongly recommend you purchasing. Coming from a seasoned, hardcore, gaming veteran…that’s a good things folks.
Head over to ArmorGames website for more info on Shift and their other iPhone games.
