Does the world really need another Doodle Jump-style game? Based on the sales figures for Bird Strike, they seem to want one. (With 1.3 million downloads of the original, the iPhone app from PikPok Games is now available as a Gold Edition.) Now, if you don’t care for Doodle Jump and apps of that sort, Bird Strike probably isn’t going to change your mind. But for those who like a little time-killer game occasionally, this might be for you.
Controls are straightforward: pull Gerald the bird down on his telephone wire and let go to slingshot him into the air. Tilt left and right to steer him, collecting bird seeds and avoiding obstacles. Just make sure you grab a rocket as he starts to fall back to earth so you can keep climbing higher. The difference here is that unlike many tilt-and-climb games, the obstacles and power-ups in each level are predetermined—and there’s an end. When you get high enough, you’ll reach the UFO, which zaps Gerald and sends him crashing back to earth. Now your goal is to smash as many obstacles on the way down as possible.
On earlier levels, it’s quite easy to get a gold medal just on a quick run through. However, on later levels you’ll need to plan better, falling down and riding rockets back up each section so you can collect as many seeds as possible. There’s also an Endless Mode which is more like Doodle Jump: Gerald can only fall a certain distance before he falls off the screen and you lose. (On the regular World Tour mode, as long as there’s still a rocket to catch, the game keeps going.)
The graphics are cartoony, colorful and fun to look at. You do get some change of scenery, too, from level to level but also as you get higher in the air. The sound effects get a little repetitive, particularly the little exclamations Gerald makes, but it’s not horrible. Bird Strike also uses the OpenFeint system to let you track leaderboards, challenge your friends, and rack up achievements. (If you’re into that sort of thing.)
All in all, it’s an entertaining entry in the Doodle Jump genre, and I’ve frittered away a good amount of time playing it.
Click here to buy Bird Strike from the iTunes store for $.99.
Wired: Cute graphics and clever variation on the tilt-and-climb game.
Tired: It’s still a tilt-and-climb game.
Disclosure: GeekDad received a free download for review.
