Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Canabalt - the most beautiful game in the App Store?

It started life as a free online Flash game, but Canabalt has now been lovingly ported to the iPhone by Semi Secret Software. It's really about the simplest game you will ever play - there is only one control: JUMP! - and it's entirely in black-and-white, but Canabalt manages to pack more tension and adrenalin in than any other iPhone game I have seen.

It's essentially a 2D side-scroller where you hurtle ever faster across the city skyline, barely managing to leap from building to building, and in the distance... and in the distance... well, I don't know what is going on in the distance, except that it is creepy as hell, and I don't blame you for running. One false move, one misstep, and you die. It's as simple as that.

CanabaltEvery aspect of this game is near-perfect... the speed, the control, the graphic design, the music, leaderboards, the instant replayability, the concept. It is all done with immense style. At $3, this absolutely unique game isn't the cheapest thing in the App Store, but it is, for my money, the most beautiful. An essential purchase.


1 comment:

  1. Well... I showed this article to Francesca, and she said the game looks ugly. But fun. "Ugly but fun", she said. This is of course what makes us such a great team.

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