Whale Trail

Whale Trail Review

by on October 25, 2011

As the once-quirky hybrid puzzle-actioners Angry Birds and Plants v Zombies have reached saturation point, a new and burgeoning iOS game ’scene’ of quick-tap endurance-actioners has arisen in their wake. Think Tiny Wings, Jetpack Joyride, Canabalt – we’ve dubbed them “one-hand bandits”, as their wonderfully simple construction means you can literally play them with a single man-mitt, but this does no justice to the joys often contained inside. Whale Trail is the latest, and its up their with the best. Unashamedly psychedelic, it (bear with us) has you feeding a cartoon whale on a real-time diet of bubbles and stars (that’s the trail, see) to make it fly and avoid evil, electrocuting clouds while a twee-pop soundtrack by Super Furry Animals’ head honcho Gruff Rhys warbles in the background. When the T3 office was first showed it, they all looked aghast at the makes-Nintendo-look-like-Ken-Loach cuteness – then every single one downloaded it. As with many “one-hand bandits”, the challenge comes in lasting as long as you can without getting hurt to ramp up your multiplier, helping you rack up a big score – and attain a dizzying raft of individual, sometimes enjoyably nonsensical achievements. Sharp controls and touchscreen reactions are key to this genre, and Whale Trail nails it, but what raises it above the merely good is the stunning art design and music, creating a world that’s just as memorable as Mario’s Mushroom Kingdom. It’s simple, it’s gorgeous, and it’s only 69p. There’s rarely been better gaming value for money.

Download this app: Whale Trail for iPhone