What’s that at the top of the App Store? Is it a bird, is it a plane… oh wait, it is a bird – the flight-challenged hero of Tiny Wings.
Angry Birds was finally knocked from its perch atop the iOS App Store last week and the biggest surprise was that it was by another bird – the hero of Tiny Wings, a rhythm-action title that has taken mobile gaming by storm.
As his name suggests, the little bird that stars in Tiny Wings is quite aerially-challenged and cannot muster must much more than a few seconds of big air at a time, rather than fly of his own accord. Thus, players are tasked with helping the bird gain momentum through a series of undulating levels, gaining momentum for their feathered friend to launch into the clouds before darkness sets in.
The bulk of Tiny Wings’ gameplay involves our slightly rotund hero skimming up and down hilly terrain, while a day/night cycle challenges players to reach the end of each level before daylight falls, when the bird can progress no more. Apparently he needs a nap after a day of sliding and gliding, which is fair enough.
How can anyone view this picture and not even be slightly interested in downloading Wings?
The gameplay mechanics of said task marks Tiny Wings out as an unlikely rhythm-action title, always fair but occasionally infuriating. Your job is to tap the screen each time Tiny (we’re guessing that’s his name) is on a downward slope, while any tapping on an upward curve effectively stops his momentum dead.
After building up a head of steam and correctly tapping, consistently, you’ll soon have your bird flying through the air, picking up blue speed boosts and if you hit three perfect slopes, you’ll enable ‘fever mode’ for double points. Indeed, the quest of nailing each slope or hitting fever mode ensures that Tiny Wings retains that wonderful ‘one more go’ aspect which colours every great mobile game.
The brainchild of German game designer Andreas Illiger, Tiny Wings is compulsive and deceptively simple gaming that fits mobile platforms like a glove. Smartly presented throughout, the game’s also features ‘procedurally generated’ backgrounds, which ensure that the beautiful landscape changes upon each playthrough.
Considering that it’s gameplay could not be easily replicated by anything other than touch controls, or that the aforementioned touch controls require just the use of one finger, we reckon Wings is another great example of how easily and how quickly mobile gaming is changing the world of video games and consumer’s expecatations.
Although Tiny Wings isn’t the deepest title in the App Store and is easily ripe for improvement (greater powerups, enemies), it’s a lot harder than it looks and that fact alone should ensure hours of playtime and satisfaction. With that level of difficulty, coupled with a wonderful art style and hero, it’s not hard to see why this title has taken flight on the App Store.
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