version 1.0
[Update, May 28, 2010: The developers have added quite a few levels to the game post-release, and Rafter now features a whopping 71 levels for just $0.99. I haven’t played all 71 levels, but the amount of gaming time in this title has increased significantly in just a few short months.]
Rafter is 21 levels of Da Vinci-inspired fun. The action doesn’t last very long, but this $0.99 title is definitely worth the money. That’s because Rafter presents one of the better physics-based puzzle engines I’ve seen out on the iPhone.
The gameplay is actually very simple: draw a shape at the top of the screen and have it drop onto the red mine at the bottom of the screen. Then again, as the screenshot above illustrates, it’s not quite that easy.
There are two kinds of obstacles in Rafter: the ones that move and the ones that don’t. The game also occasionally adds an extra challenge in the form of wind, but the gameplay always boils down to bouncing, rolling, or sliding your shape towards the red mine. You draw circles or rectangles at the top of the screen, each of which will bounce or slide off of in-game obstacles in a different way. The size of a drawn object also has an effect on its mass, so smaller shapes will fly farther. You can use this mechanic to your advantage by making your drawings bounce off each other, to launch them into the level-ending red mine. However, you can’t simply take your time with your drawings, as every level features a time limit that affects your score. If you need a little bit of time to think, you can double tap any where on the level to pause.
The 21 levels took me about 30 minutes to play through, but there is some replayability thanks to the OpenFeint-enabled scoreboards. You get more points for completing a level faster, as well as for doing so with a minimum number of drawings. I enjoyed my time with Rafter, and it’s one of those rare games that I have no criticisms of.
I thought the experienced was tiered quite nicely, and the puzzles never got so complex that I just wanted to give up (a la Enigmo). If anything, I’d say it’s a shame there aren’t extra DLC levels available right now. The included 21 levels are a a fair offering based on the $0.99 price, but they’re no longer enough once you see how addicting the core gameplay is.
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Rafter is available for $0.99 on the App Store.
Rafter was provided by Emantras, Inc. 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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