Elegance in gameplay is a hard concept to
nail down, but sometimes minimalism in gameplay
can have more of an impact than any flashy
button-mashing action title could ever dream
to accomplish. With little more than a single
tap to control a near-flightless bird, Tiny
Wings by Andreas Illiger evokes instants of
elation, frustration, panic and peacefulness
with such vivid effectiveness that this endless
title may be the first game in a long time
to truly knock Canabalt off its perch.
Despite being a flightless bird, the main
character has always dreamed of flying, but
luckily this bird has two tricks up its sleeve.
Firstly the bird lives amongst a series of
smooth rolling hills that provide the perfect
ramps for sliding down and launching off.
Secondly, by simply touching the screen the
bird is transformed in to a sleek, heavy projectile,
capable of gaining momentum as it slides down
a hill. Combining these together with the
occasional speed boosting coin results in
long, gliding jumps that temporarily fulfill
the bird's dream of flying.
The world of Tiny Wings is truly fascinating,
with bright and colorful landscapes that shift
and change daily thanks to a unique procedural
graphics generator. Each run is ended once
night-time catches up with the tiny bird,
but if you can master the perfect slides you'll
be able to out-pace the coming sunset and
nightfall while flinging your way between
islands and enjoying the soothing background
music.
To combat the deadly demon of 'repetition',
players are given objectives to complete and
are subsequently rewarded with a permanent
boost to their score multiplier once each
set is checked off. The overall effect is
staggeringly addictive and despite the difficulty
of later challenges it's easy to keep coming
back for more.
Tiny Wings is a rare pearl and a definite
must play for all but those completely burnt-out
on the endless concept.
