Price: $1.99 Score: 9/10 Category: Games
Through charming hand-drawn animation and clever humor comes Chillingo’s Spider Jack HD, a puzzle game that urges players to rely on precise timing and physics for success.
By controlling Spider Jack’s web line, you’ll swing from one point to another, grabbing items and avoiding obstacles in order to receive your ultimate reward: a nice, juicy supper. The game is a challenging brain-twister, perfect for gamers who enjoy putting a bit of thought into their gameplay.
Each level in Spider Jack consists of Jack’s entry point and his goal: the fly. In addition, there are multiple points at which you can attach Jack’s web string. Doing so will cause Jack to swing back and forth while he crawls up the line. If you time it just right, you’ll be able to grab stars, which will add to your ranking and allow you to proceed from stage to stage. Or, if you’d like, you can simply go straight for the fly, allowing you to end the level and move on.
At first, finishing levels can be achieved simply be timing your swing. As you progress, players are challenged to learn how to cut the string, sending Jack into a free fall, and then attaching a new string at just the right moment. Eventually, players will be expected to perfectly time the free fall and reattach their string multiple times while avoiding obstacles and traps. This requires quick-thinking and absolute precision, but success is incredibly satisfying.
Spider Jack HD plays wonderfully on the larger iPad screen, with plenty of room to move your finger around in order to be as accurate as possible. The levels are fairly designed – albeit deviously so – and the hand-drawn animation is unremarkable, yet clean in presentation. There are currently seventy-five levels, with the promise of more on the way through a future patch. In all, there’s a great deal of content for a measly two bucks.
Bottom Line: Fast, frustrating, and fun, Spider Jack is a worthwhile game that’ll keep your mind sharp.
Spider Jack is compatible with iPad. Requires iOS 3.2 or later.