Browsing the app store on your chosen iDevice grants you access to thousands of games all competing for your casual gaming fix, with most of them being average at best. However, buried amongst the mediocity and blandness lies a handful of gems, and Tiny Birds is by far one of those shining diamonds.
Created by just one man, Andreas Illinger, Tiny Wings transports you into the boots of the titular character; Tiny Wings, a little bird who has always dreamed of flying high and flying far, but.. Yes, you've guessed it, has tiny wings and as such cannot fly very well at all. However, the lush environment that Tiny Wings is based in is full of hills which can be used as ramps to propel you far across the map in an array of beautiful colours thanks to the varying, bright colour pallete used to keep you engrossed.
This game is all based around your timing and skill, a trend followed by many of the best iOS games. You start the game 'day' by launching yourself off a hill, propelling yourself into the air, and then timing when to land on the next hill so you experience a smooth landing to propel yourself off of the next hill efficiently.When you touch the screen of your device, Tiny Wings folds back his wings and you plummet like a stone to the ground, enabling you to gain momentum if timed correctly to speed down a hill. Releasing your touch will let Tiny Wings unfold and flap his wings, soaring through the sky to new islands until darkness comes and the day ends.
The only issue I have with this game is, basically, that that is it. Once you have mastered the skill of launching your bird between islands there is little more depth than just trying to beat your high score. There is a rudimentary levelling system for your bird by doing certain tasks as colecting a certain amount of coins, achieving a certain amount of perfect jumps or even getting to an island with the device held upside down.
Regardless, this game will still grip you with every time you launch Tiny Wings into the sky, and you will be biting your lip to see if you can beat your high score or get the last challenge before you level up. As a pick up and play game, it is utterly fantastic, and will see you turning off your Angry Birds in favour of a certain other bird's quest of glory.
Plus, at 59p, what have you got to lose?!
(I purchased this game for my iPhone 3GS and played it for a good four hours before reviewing)
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