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Springfling in Review – an arcade love story

The iDevice should be used for what it is good at: touching. GTProductions more than have this maxim down. Springfling is a simple, yet fun arcade game which puts you behind the coiled-energy of curly piece of metal as you fly through clever vertical levels doing everything to get ever higher. And, there is lots of touching!

As you may have guessed, there much required to play Springfling. It could be described as: tug and go. To move your hero, you merely pull down anywhere on the screen and toggle your finger to set direction. Depending on how far you pull down and how good your aim is, the game will be successful – well almost.

Here’s an anecdote: the 30-year old TMA editor who apps all day long was soon bested by his not-a-gamer-2-year-his-junior wife. Springfling isn’t a physics game – it is a platformer; but if you have any inclination to either genre, you will do well. Levels are beset by what look to be obstacles: floating platforms and some cool toys. They are all good. Getting to the top of a level isn’t easy. Whilst hopping from platform to platform, you have to contend with constantly weakening spring power, and as you progress, the levels themselves start to move. Fortunately, getting to the top isn’t the only goal. Springfling measures success by its own stick; achieving a new vertical metre record is of paramount importance. I am stuck at 414m and about rank 190 in the world. Sorry lads and lasses.

That is why funny hats and haircuts help. But better yet are rocket ships, balloons and hammer jack which propel you upward much faster than jumping. When one of these contraptions drops you off, you will have to guide the spring to a platform, brushing the screen right or left to find firm ground.

Anything which helps you also might trip you up. If you fall from a platform, it’s level over; if you get left behind in a moving level, it’s level over; if your spring runs out of power… you guessed it: it’s level over. Springfling may look cute and cuddly, but it is devious. But just when things get too hard, your plucky spring gets a make-believe do-over thanks to almost conveniently-placed pit stops (rulered sections of the level) which will recharge your depleting spring power.

To package it all nicely, GTP have added some nice elevator music to help get you to the top, but you can also have iTunes music play through the game. It’s just too bad that you cannot select it in-game. And overall, the graphics are on the nice’n cute side of simple, especially when you get awarded hats and goggles and haircuts.

Finally, after you have wound up your gaming, beaming with pride at your level score of 300 metres, you can check the online leader boards to see who in the world beat you. There are awards to earn, friends to make and fun to be had. The physics are fun, but not really realistic; the controls are great; and the music, while annoying, gets the job done. I only really wish for iTunes controls in-game. Otherwise, what a game!

App Summary
Title:	Springfling	Developer:	GTProductions
Reviewed Ver:	1.1	Min OS Req:	2.1
Price:	$0.99	App Size:	16.9 MB
Addictive gameplay Fun physics Cute elevator music Challenging, nail-biting gameplay upgrades, leaderboards – the works!		How bout iTunes controls? Some side to side controls are unwieldy

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