Game Review: Land Sliders by Prettygreat - Slide Around the World!
Games released by new studios that manage to make it to the top and surpass other, established studios is a not so rare occurrence as of lately, and Land Sliders comes to fill one more spot to the list of such gems. Well, to be completely fair, some of the people in Prettygreat have worked on other hits such as Fruit Ninja and Jetpack Joyride, thus their experiences led them into creating a game that is sure to captivate you, like it did with me and players who have already tried it. When developers who have previously worked on such big hits announce a new game, the players are expecting something great from them- something completely normal, since it is an aspect that comes with success and is unavoidable. So I’m really pleased that Land Sliders exceeded the expectations and set a new “high score” in its field.
Plot
The game takes the player to a journey around the world, in imaginative locations in which our main hero (out of the many you can unlock) Turny, must travel and collect as many items as possible together with coins and power ups. Every location has different enemies that try to take you out, and did I mention that you do everything while sliding?!
Gameplay
The game starts with a tutorial that teaches you the basics, and I was actually a bit confused me at first due to the way you need to swipe to move the character. Basically, the default mode of controls is set to inverse. This means that if you swipe down the character will instead move up and same goes for the sides. I understand that this works for some people but it was really confusing to me; thankfully however, the game offers the option to change the controls to normal via the settings menu by selecting “Slide the character” instead of “Slide the world” (which is the default option). The main menu is beautifully designed as you move the character on top of each option e.g. new game, characters, settings, free gift and more and it feels like you’re already in game.
Each level is randomly generated and your objective is to collect the items that are scattered around to reach a high score. The game notifies you when you collected all available items in a level so you can move on to the next. Except from items, collectibles include coins and power ups, even though they are hard to come by. Quests appear in levels every so often to spice up the game and give you more to look for. They include: being chased by enemies for an x number of times, staying above water for 2 seconds, or putting out fires. Successfully completing a quest rewards you with coins.
The power-ups are a rare treat in Land Sliders but quite amazing. Invincible hot sauce is one of them and keeps away all enemies for obvious reasons, or the bunnies that run around and if caught reward you with more maps. I have yet to collect a different kind of power up and I’m not sure if there are more available.
The enemies are the hardest part of the game and for a good reason. At first they are fairly easy to avoid but things get gradually harder as you land on the 3rd world and onward. In the 1st level there is usually only one enemy and in the 2nd there are more, in which case avoiding one could make you go directly in the claws of the other. Enemies include angry bears, angry dinos, angry cactuses and altogether angry creatures that if take notice of you will start chasing you for no apparent reason. I still don’t know what makes them so angry! By all means they must be avoided unless you want to turn into an angel and move to the other world. The ways the character dies is actually pretty funny as they can become angels, or their dying spot turns into a grave and more. Definitely helps taming the player from the frustration of losing.
Apart from enemies, you need to look out for cliffs, ponds or dangerous spots (spikes or thorns etc) because falling or trying to walk on water will mean game over. Since everything is done while sliding, the game gives you a helping hand by allowing the character to get back on solid ground if you swipe fast enough. That gives you the ability to move faster in some areas by sliding in ponds or between cliffs that have gaps between. You can also use moving platforms that work as elevators and bring the character at the top of a cliff because there is no jump button. As a result of sliding, the character moves really fast, albeit smoothly, so you need to be careful with your swipes. By tapping the character stop immediately until you start swiping again. Also, with slow swiping you can make your character move precisely to anywhere on the screen you want.
In order to level up your character and collect bonus rewards, you need to collect the number of maps (or other items depending on which character you’re using) that is asked of you. When you manage to level up you are rewarded with plenty of coins. Watching ads is also an easy way to give yourself some coins, as well as opening up gifts from the main menu every few hours.
The characters are probably the best part to look for. There is such great variety that make you want to collect them all! Along with every character, the look of the levels change as well, but most importantly the items you need to collect differ greatly. The UFO must collect cows, the Tooth Fairy teeth, the toilet (yes there is a toilet character and a fridge character too, what’s so strange about that?!) plungers and so on. The way you get characters is also amazing; you need to spend 100 coins and get a cute box with a random character inside. It makes me feel the same way as opening a Kinder chocolate egg! A lovely surprise is that Crossy Road developers invested on the game and thus the famous chicken is among the characters you could play as!
In-App Purchases
The only IAP in the game is the option to buy the character of your choice for $0.99 instead of picking one randomly from the lottery. So there is nothing that affects the gameplay and everything else is totally free.
Graphics & Sounds
Gorgeous 3D designs and stunning graphics complete the set, making Land Sliders a wonderful experience in every aspect. The environments are really well made and easily steal the attention from the goal. The uniqueness in aesthetics of each one depending on the character you control (for most of them) is something to look forward too. The color pallet is also amazing as it includes a large variety of colors, smooth and vibrant. The playful BG music is absolutely fantastic and perfect for the game.
Conclusion
Land Sliders is a game that is hard to resist once you try it. It engulfs the player and offers a great deal of content, considering it’s a game about scoring higher and nothing more. You could tell yourself you’ll play only one round but next thing you know an hour went by (been there, done that). Lovely designs, likable characters (and enemies too), smooth controls, and minor flaws. Perfect for spending some time on.
Download Land Sliders for iOS devices here.
Land Sliders screenshots
