[Update: Version 1.1 has been released and addresses some of the issues I pointed out in this review, details here]
The most complex part of Super Turbo Action Pig is its name. Behind all of those sensational adjectives, however, lies is a simple game about a pig flying through a mine field in an effort to stop the evil Butcher Bill. It’s a lot like that retro game, Helicopter, but with jetpack-smoked bacon.
Tap to fly
You have exactly one button to worry about in Super Turbo Action Pig: the one that activates the jetpack strapped to your back. Once you’ve mastered the use of this button, you’ll use it to help you dodge the assortment of floating mines, flying cleavers, and suspended saw blades that are constantly in your way.
Tapping on the jetpack button will provide you with a quick upward boost, and holding down on it will boost you all the way to the ceiling. Using the jetpack causes all sorts of very tiny changes to Super Turbo Action Pig: his tail uncurls, his face contorts into a determined grin, and smoke sputters out of the back of his jetpack. These are small changes, but they add some noticeable charm to this otherwise simple title.
To achieve a decent high score (the main objective of the game), you’ll have to know exactly when to activate your jetpack, and when to simply let it idle. This gaming mechanic of controlled rising and falling is entertaining, but it won’t get your blood pumping. That’s because the various obstacles never really change, and the dynamic stays the same all throughout the average one or two-minute session.The other mini objective is to collect five golden sausages, but I’ve never lived long enough to collect more than one, so I have no idea what happens if you manage to collect them all.
What’s missing here is an extra layer of depth. My other favourite indie titles, Tilt to Live and Canabalt, also feature very basic control sets, but allow you more gameplay freedom. Canabalt lets you slow yourself down by bumping into objects, and Tilt to Live has all sorts of power-ups to help you play the game your own way. I think this sense of nuance is what Super Turbo Action Pig formula lacks.
Explosive action
When Super Turbo Action Pig dies he won’t explode in a shower of blood and guts. Instead, he’ll explode in a hail of sausages and “red sauce”. The effect is fantastic without feeling particularly gory — similar to the way that the animated series, Samurai Jack, would slice robots in half and show oil spurting all over the place. You could enjoy all the fun of visceral combat, but none of that icky, sticky blood stuff.
Can I haz more explosions?
I’m not sure of developer Joystick Generals’ plans for future updates (if any), but I think one other way to set this game apart from the hordes of other $0.99 titles would be through the strength of the art and animation. The game has a sensational sense of style, and if there were unique death animations based on what kind of obstacle the pig collides with, I think that small change would make a lot to differentiate it from the crowd.
Conclusion
Super Turbo Action Pig is fun, but if you already own other titles like Doodle Jump, Canabalt, or Tilt to Live, then there’s nothing particularly new to see here aside from the art direction — just another OpenFeint-enabled race towards a high score. A few small tweaks to the gameplay or the addition of extra entertaining death animations could change all of that, but for now, I think this pig still needs to earn its “Super Turbo Action” stripes.
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Super Turbo Action Pig is available for $0.99.
The game was provided by Joystick Generals for review on Just Another iPhone Blog. For further information regarding our site’s review policies, please see the “About” page.
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TAGS: joystick generals, side scroller
