Frankenstein

Frankenstein Review

by on October 26, 2012

It’s obvious that interactive books and the iPad (and to some extent the iPhone and iPod Touch) were made for each other. Just look at the hype, and indeed successes of Atomic Antelope’s Alice when it appeared as one of the first apps on the original iPad. But things have come a long way since Alice, and other interactive wondrous lands have since been designed, leaving delighted users demanding more.

And with Frankenstein, developed by Inkle, we get a good idea of where books can go on iOS. Author Dave Morris has completely reworked Shelley’s classic for the app, with readers being asked to make choices and ask questions that changes the plot. If you were a late ’70s or ’80s child (like this reviewer) it brings back fond memories of the Choose Your Own Adventure series of books.

The look and feel of this app is lovely. It’s an immersive experience, with beautiful drawings accompanying the text. It’s also a lot of fun – asking questions and making choices adds much more to the reading experience. Of course, there are a finite number of plot variations, but it’s not a book app you’ll use once and be done with. The UI is interesting as well, offering navigation through chapters on the left, and scrolling text on the right. As you make your choices, text pops up from the bottom – further emphasising that you are dictating the way the story goes. On the iPhone version, the text fills the screen, but is the same in terms of the interactivity.

We’ve seen many interactive books, but Frankenstein, for iPad and iPhone is right up there with the best of them. What’s more exciting is the potential for this platform. We’re sure Inkle has a load more book adaptations up its sleeve, and we can’t wait to see them.

Download this app: Frankenstein for iPad

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Review courtesy of Tap!