Wintery iPhone Apps Impression

A look at frosty themed applications for iPhone

The snow has, is and will fall so while gamers are snuggled up inside or on the go let’s take a look at a few frosty, winter themed apps for iPhone. While just a small sampling of the numerous games available, these three games and one story take very successful formulas and enhance them with the winter mood. What are the games about, are they worth playing let alone purchasing? Let’s take a look.

ReBounce – The concept is simple, keep the puck/arrow moving while breaking marbles. Use the screen to guide the initial direction of the puck and watch it bounce and bounce again but don’t let it fall or game over. There are four core modes of play including a Tetris like keep the marbles from reaching the top of the screen, challenge with limited boost for your puck and just break things. Power-ups are thrown in with lightning marbles and bombs so the action gets pretty crazy at times. Online leader boards and random levels keep the addictiveness going.

So how is ReBounce … solid. The tutorial is quick and concept easy to follow with a great mixture of challenge. The sounds, well that’s up to the gamer if they want to listen to their iPod tracks or not. The graphics are bright and vivid with solid effects and (in this case) a nice wintery background and winter bubble effects. The leader boards and achievements really get their hooks into gamers looking to get a better score, climb the charts and show off winnings.

So how is ReBounce as a winter game? It’s the same game as the non-winter version. There are skinned items and a new theme which makes the game feel new at times with random levels so for gamers having purchased already it’s a nice bonus but not too much a hook for those to purchase it new. No, the reason to buy ReBounce lies solely in its solid and addictive gameplay. A fun entry in the winter themed games but should not be missed by iPhone owners looking for some quick addictive gameplay.

Angry Birds Seasons – Well known and an outstanding seller, the original Angry Birds offers hours of bright, vivid and humorous gameplay throwing birds and smashing green pigs. In place of a skin or an expansion level the Seasons addition is a new game but totally worth an additional purpose. For Christmas the concept was quite cool with a 25 day countdown to levels where gamers had to wait for the next level. There are golden eggs and all but the waiting is truly the hardest part. The snow based levels add a new level of gaming as snow smashes as no other substance in Angry Birds.

So how is Angry Birds Seasons … amazing. The take on Halloween and Christmas were each unique and it leaves fans to wonder what season is next, what type of levels and twist. The gameplay rocks but when a new take, new features are thrown in it makes gamers happy.

So how is Angry Birds Seasons as a winter game? One of the best and worth the separate purchase.

Hellkid – Same jumping gaming action but with holiday skins and costume options. Running, jumping, hooking is all the same but the new look makes it feel fresh. Multiple levels to clear, global leader boards, achievements and a solid item shop make this more than a throw away game. There is a lot to do with Hellkid even with such a simple gameplay premise.

So how is Hellkid as a winter game? Decent with new skins and clothing options but beyond this not too much to see. Beyond the winter season, well not sure what’s next here.

A Christmas Carol – The classic tale is not a game but an interactive telling of Charles Dickens classic. A great way to introduce the book to the young in the family but also very enjoyable for adults. The work done by PadWorx Digital on creating a new look and feel for the tale is as fresh as any Hollywood reimagining of Dickens work. The pages are beautiful and well detailed with interactive elements, a steampunk style according to the site.

So how is A Christmas Carol as a winter app? Worthy of purchase anytime of the year. The tale comes up around the holidays but is a literary classic. Making reading interactive, more visual and beautiful is a great path which all classics should follow with the new devices available.

Overall this has been just a quick look at three games and one interactive novel which stay in tune with the weather. With Angry Birds Seasons gamers get a whole new experience on a solid formula while ReBounce and Hellkid take their excellent, well selling formulas and makes gamers get into the holiday spirit. A Christmas Carol shows off how to re-create a classic for a new generation of technology and readers. It’s great to be mobile this holiday wintery season.