astrosaurus
06-19-2009, 01:26 PM
[App Store Link] (http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=313014213&mt=8)
Who knew this whole "guide and avoid" genre would be so popular, eh? Firemint released Flight Control last March and since amassed a rather large and hardcore following of would-be aviators. The sweet spot was hit rather precisely: It delivered a fresh experience that was easy to grasp, the gameplay bordered on infinite re-playability, it was pleasant on the eyes and to top it off the price was right at only a buck.
http://www.astrosaurus.com/images/stories/harbormaster002.jpg
While Flight Control has tanned under the brilliant glow of praise over the last few months Imangi Studios has been in hiding (in what one can only assume is a dusty, poorly lit basement -- void of any such glow) brewing their own aquatic version of the game. Can you blame them? What developer doesn't want to bask in the rays of acclaim and be hand-fed grapes by masses of beautiful people? Has Imangi Studios managed to accomplished such a lofty task? Or is their newest title (pun alert!) full of leaks?
Harbor Master (99 cents) follows the same basic gameplay as Flight Control. Units (in this case boats) come into the screen and it's your job to draw the path they will take to their respective docks so they can unload their cargo. Several boats will eventually be on screen at once and it's your duty as an honorable captain to correct any paths to avoid collisions.
http://www.astrosaurus.com/images/stories/harbormaster003.jpg
In Harbor Master you'll come across three different types of boats. One boat is small, moves quickly but only carries one unit of cargo. There's a slower one that carries two and an even larger, slower vessel that carries three units. On top of their varying speeds the boats with more cargo take longer to unload once docked. This adds an extra level of timed gameplay that I find to be the most enjoyable part of the game. You're constantly trying to calculate if a boat can make it into a dock as soon as you can but with allowing enough time to let the parked one leave. Narrowly avoiding a collision as you bring one boat in and one boat out with no time wasted in between has been the most rewarding part of Harbor Master.
http://www.astrosaurus.com/images/stories/harbormaster001.jpg
As far as presentation goes Harbor Master, I feel, has a small leg up on Flight Control. The differences aren't too significant but overall the graphics are a bit cleaner, less cluttered and have a nice polish behind it. Having said that it would have been great to have seen art direction with a little more personality. That's more of an "in a perfect world" wish than suggesting something is wrong. On a technical level the visuals are fantastic and get the job done. Even the audio I favor slightly more, from the tune that plays in the background to the "line complete" chim. Everything looks, and sounds, right.
Harbor Master is a worth while contender that deserves to be up there in the ranks with Flight Control. While the changes aren't drastic they are incremental enough that fans of the genre should take notice. It's the little differences that will have me coming back and enjoying it time and time again.
http://www.astrosaurus.com/images/stories/harbormastergrade2.jpg
Who knew this whole "guide and avoid" genre would be so popular, eh? Firemint released Flight Control last March and since amassed a rather large and hardcore following of would-be aviators. The sweet spot was hit rather precisely: It delivered a fresh experience that was easy to grasp, the gameplay bordered on infinite re-playability, it was pleasant on the eyes and to top it off the price was right at only a buck.
http://www.astrosaurus.com/images/stories/harbormaster002.jpg
While Flight Control has tanned under the brilliant glow of praise over the last few months Imangi Studios has been in hiding (in what one can only assume is a dusty, poorly lit basement -- void of any such glow) brewing their own aquatic version of the game. Can you blame them? What developer doesn't want to bask in the rays of acclaim and be hand-fed grapes by masses of beautiful people? Has Imangi Studios managed to accomplished such a lofty task? Or is their newest title (pun alert!) full of leaks?
Harbor Master (99 cents) follows the same basic gameplay as Flight Control. Units (in this case boats) come into the screen and it's your job to draw the path they will take to their respective docks so they can unload their cargo. Several boats will eventually be on screen at once and it's your duty as an honorable captain to correct any paths to avoid collisions.
http://www.astrosaurus.com/images/stories/harbormaster003.jpg
In Harbor Master you'll come across three different types of boats. One boat is small, moves quickly but only carries one unit of cargo. There's a slower one that carries two and an even larger, slower vessel that carries three units. On top of their varying speeds the boats with more cargo take longer to unload once docked. This adds an extra level of timed gameplay that I find to be the most enjoyable part of the game. You're constantly trying to calculate if a boat can make it into a dock as soon as you can but with allowing enough time to let the parked one leave. Narrowly avoiding a collision as you bring one boat in and one boat out with no time wasted in between has been the most rewarding part of Harbor Master.
http://www.astrosaurus.com/images/stories/harbormaster001.jpg
As far as presentation goes Harbor Master, I feel, has a small leg up on Flight Control. The differences aren't too significant but overall the graphics are a bit cleaner, less cluttered and have a nice polish behind it. Having said that it would have been great to have seen art direction with a little more personality. That's more of an "in a perfect world" wish than suggesting something is wrong. On a technical level the visuals are fantastic and get the job done. Even the audio I favor slightly more, from the tune that plays in the background to the "line complete" chim. Everything looks, and sounds, right.
Harbor Master is a worth while contender that deserves to be up there in the ranks with Flight Control. While the changes aren't drastic they are incremental enough that fans of the genre should take notice. It's the little differences that will have me coming back and enjoying it time and time again.
http://www.astrosaurus.com/images/stories/harbormastergrade2.jpg