Appletell | Apple, Mac, iPhone, iPod | News, Rumors, Reviews, How-Tos

Category: Arcade games
Developer: Freeverse, Inc.
Requirements: iPhone OS 2.2.1 or later
Compatibility: iPhone and iPod touch
File Size: 15.0MB

What is it?

You don’t know what Skee-Ball is? Okay, Skee-Ball is that game you find in arcades and children’s pizza parlors where you roll balls up a ramp in an attempt to get them into various rings for high point values. This is an iPhone version of that. In real life Skee-Ball, you generally win tickets to exchange for prizes. In iPhone Skee-Ball, you win fake tickets to exchange for fake prizes.

How does it work?

Two ways. The first, and most obvious, is to simply flick your finger from the bottom of the screen to the top. This sends your ball rolling up the ramp and, hopefully, into a ring with a high point value. The direction and speed of your flick will determine the velocity of the ball. You can also roll the ball by simply placing your thumb on the screen and then sharply tilting your iPhone or iPod touch. This method provided better accuracy (for me, anyway), but didn’t allow me to control the speed.

Stop there, and you have Skee-Ball, but Freeverse is never content to just leave things as they are. So, they’ve included the ability to tilt your phone to adjust your ball slightly while it’s in the air. True, this doesn’t make for authentic Skee-Ball, but neither do the bonus rings that increase your point value if you roll the ball into them while lit. Little touches such as this add to the challenge and, therefore, the fun of the game. Outside the game, you’ve got various awards to achieve (hit each ring in a single game, reach a certain number of points, get nothing but 20s, etc.). Some goals even center around what you buy with your tickets. As I mentioned, you do get tickets to trade in for virtual prizes, including custom balls. You also have the ability to share your scores online and to challenge others.

Features

• Faithful graphics with lively animation and effects.
• Strong physics engine (with a few liberties taken).
• Numerous challenges to increase replay value.
• Online leader board.
• Ticket system to purchase over 80 prizes.

App it Up, Sum it Up

There are numerous Skee-Ball style games available in the iTunes App Store, and Freeverse’s certainly has to rank amongst the top. It’s fun and lively, making for a decent option when you need to just kill a few moments. More importantly, the various challenges/awards will give you incentive to keep coming back, so you’re not likely to abandon the game after a couple of weeks.

Cost - $0.99
Worth the Money? - Easily. You may not win any real prizes, but you won’t waste and real quarters, either.
Availability - Now, in the iTunes App Store