Sir Benfro's Brilliant Balloon: like Jetpack Joyride, only less frantic and more artsy.
Sir Benfro’s Brilliant Balloon – $.99 (universal app)
Sir Benfro is a wacky little adventurer, and he travels by balloon. But not just any sort of balloon — his brilliant balloon is powered by fireflies. Sir Benfro’s Brilliant Balloon is a single-finger-tap sort of game: touch the screen to go up, let go to drop down. Also, quick taps will slow him down and slower taps make him travel faster. You’ll travel through various tunnels and past creatures, collecting fireflies and trying not to crash. The balloon loses fireflies over time, but loses a lot of them if you hit an obstacle.
The game isn’t just another Canabalt or Jetpack Joyride, though. What sets Sir Benfro’s Brilliant Balloon apart is the graphics, which are gorgeous and look like old woodcut illustrations or a little like Terry Gilliam’s cut-paper animations from Monty Python. Also, the levels have a definite beginning and end, so it’s not an endless run. The bizarre creatures you encounter will show up in the Spotter’s Guide so you can read about the “Light Emitting Daves” and other weird animals that populate Sir Benfro’s world.
This one won’t take you forever to finish, but if you appreciate beautiful graphics you should give it a whirl. There’s a gameplay video on the website to give you an idea of what it looks like in action.
