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iPhone/iPad Review: Rocketeer

The iPhone has some pretty sweet apps, but have you ever felt like you might want to take a few rocket men and launch them into a black hole? Well Rocketeer, Wired Developments' new physics based aiming game, might be able to fill that void in your app library.

Rocketeer's setup is about as simple as it gets. You have a spaceship on one side and a wormhole on another. The goal is to aim your Rocketeer into the wormhole to transport him to the next level. It's not always so simple, however, as planets and meteor belts will be glad to get in your way.

To remedy this, Wired Developments actually uses the concept of gravitational pull to swing the Rocketeers around these obstacles. The bigger the planet, the stronger the pull. This means that you'll have to pay close attention to not only the layout of the planets, but also the size.

 

The game, like most games on the market, starts the player off with a set of training wheels. You'll begin by passing by one planet, then two, then three until you fully understand the concept of the gravitational pull. There were a few points that I felt a little overwhelmed, but not to the point where I got frustrated, so the developers did a good job ramping the difficulty curve. Before you know it, however, you'll be blasting your Rocketeers through more difficult puzzles and bouncing, spinning and even rapid-firing them towards the wormholes.

The graphics are pretty run of the mill, but look very nice and crisp on the display. The mixture of 2D and 3D graphics works well in the game's formula and plays really nicely, especially on the amazing displays of newer devices.

Overall, Rocketeer is a well-made game that combines interesting concepts with an addicting gameplay style. The game does a good job of taking a simple style of play and making the most of it through little innovations and tweaks upon the original idea. The game won't be replacing your Angry Birds addiction anytime soon, but it's definitely a worthy companion to the title.