App Review No. 35 Flappy Bird

Strong Points:
Very addictive!
Simple gameplay
Challenging
Nice retro graphics (except for the bird)
Based on pure skill - no power ups, check points etc.
Easy to learn, hard to master
Simplistic
Randomized layout means the app will always be different

Weak Points:
Pretty much impossible to master
Randomized layout means you can't memorize what you need to do
Sometimes too challenging
No tutorial or learning curve
Frustrating
No way to get rid of ads.
Leaderboards seem to be, again, hacked

In-depth Review:

Release Dates:
World Wide: 24th May 2013

Controls:
Tap to make bird go up

*Warning* this app is so addictive that it may consume your entire life and those around you. You have been warned *End of Warning*

This game is simplistic, fun, addictive and frustrating. The only objective is to guide the (not named) bird through pipes and get as far as possible. Getting so far will get you medals (bronze, silver, gold and platinum) and the pride of knowing you have gotten so far. You can share this score to your friends in a number of ways (messaging, mail, Twitter, Facebook) to show you have either beaten them, come close, or lost spectacularly.

Now what this game lacks in depth of gameplay, it makes up for in pure addictiveness. You will be playing this game for hours on end and before you know it, days. Always trying to beat your friends' and your own highscores. Always dying. Always starting again. And again, And again.

The graphics are quite nice and have a retro feel about them, except for the bird which looks slightly distorted (and like a fish). The sounds are all right but will distract you from playing the game, so will get you more frustrated. The gameplay as said before is simplistic, with no power-ups, cheats, extra characters etc. to help/ hinder you. This is good because the app is now based on your skill and your skill alone (which is a welcome break from all the hand-holding of the present generation of games) but also bad because you will get SO frustrated playing it.

Again, the randomized layout means that the game doesn't get to repetitive and will keep you on your toes but will also mean you can never master the layout of the game. Finally, there seems to be no way to get rid of ads (not even IAP's) unless you go onto Airplane Mode (which has the added bonus of blocking texts, so friends and family members cannot distract you).

Conclusion: overall this is a great little, simplistic app that is extremely addictive and annoying at the same time. Now off to have just one more level (and maybe another).

Rating: 84%

Thanks for reading, Satamer.

Update: the pipes have been changed so that they don't resemble eight bit Mario pipes quite as much and all the buttons and texts have become blockier. Also, your bird now changes colour and there is a day and night graphical change.