Reviews Home » Action Games » Haraka

Released: 25 Aug, 2011

Reviewer: Andrew Nesvadba

Version: 1.1 Size: 19.1 MB

Share Review:

Haraka

$0.99

Save: 80% Action Games1.1Studio Joho pty ltd

PROS

Simple, intuitive controls; easy to manipulate the ball with precision.
Multiple AI levels and unlockable power-ups; player stats also increase over time, evens the playing field.
Funky TRON-like visual style; simple, yet retro and vibrantly colorful.

CONS

Easy to get locked in to a back-and-forth loop with the AI; often results in a depressing loss.
Slightly cramped controls for two players on smaller iOS devices.

VERDICT

Once you delve deeper in to Haraka you'll have your face blown off by its ninja-like speeds; this can be fun with a friend, but requires some tweaking to fully appreciate against AI opponents.

Video Review

Full Review

When you dive in to the 'classic' archives for inspiration, Pong regularly comes up as a concept that begs for re-imagining. While some have taken a literal approach to the task and others have taken far more abstract paths, Haraka by Studio Joho and Mental Drink only retains the one on one ball-bouncing aspect of the game and still manages to dredge up Atari-soaked memories of the past.

Haraka divides the screen in half, giving each player a portrait oriented court they must defend. Basic virtual buttons allow you to dash left and right, with the character automatically whacking the ball as it approaches them. Here's where things get interesting though as the ball is deflected as though you're covered in a circular shield, allowing you to control the ball with a lot of finesse if you can think ahead fast enough.

Sadly 'fast enough' is where the game hits a bit of a rough patch as each strike from the players will increase the speed of the ball, quickly reaching speeds that outpace your character and your basic reaction speeds. This places the game firmly in the domain of the AI you're up against and you're bound to experience plenty of frustrating losses as a result of this.

Thankfully clever use of power-ups including 'stat' bonuses, barriers and other goodies allow you to control the pace of the game (including the much appreciated 'slow down' to bring the speeds back to human levels), though this does place you at the mercy of luck when attempting to conquer the next of nine AI opponents.

In order to side-step this issue altogether you can grab a friend and play against each other on the one screen (an iPad helps here, but isn't necessary). What makes this mode really shine is the ability to fight over power-ups and power-downs, flicking them about to gain an advantage or mess the other player's day. Strangely enough, it's the manic gameplay that makes playing against friends so much fun, which makes the issue of balancing the game for single-player and multi-player a tricky one.

Either way, Haraka has its ups and downs, but if you need a fun and fast-paced way to kill some time (and maybe ruin a few friendships), this is worth checking out.

App Store Info

'HARAKA IS PONG ON SPEED!'Fast paced, with a Sci-Fi mood and pumping soundtrack, HARAKA will have endorphins flooding your system in no time.Take control of your BO-STAFF equipped NINJA and go at it in ZERO GRAVITY...think SQUASH IN SPACE.Score points by hitting your opponents wall, along the way unlocking pods, and enhancing your ninja.Or take down a friend in the awesome 2 PLAYER mode.Coming soon:- Game Center support with online achievements- New PodsPlease contact us for any problem or feature request.Trailer:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsJzT4dEemsFacebook Page:http://www.facebook.com/harakagameMore details on HARAKA:http://blog.mentaldrink.com/harakaSome reviews from our fans around the world. Thanks for the great support!- Australia★★★★★ Addictive by LavalevelWhat a great little sport! The single system multiplayer is hilarious.★★★★★ Fantastic old-school arcade game - love it!! by BrockaliciousHighly addictive and fun to play!★★★★★ Pong On Speed. by alex_geeThis game is a fantastically addictive, challenging (to say the very least) and evokes all of the nostalgia of retro-arcade gaming. Not since Mario-Tennis (N64) have I been so consumed by the need to continually chase a ball across a screen, and not since finishing Fruit Ninja, have I found a reason to keep my iPod close at hand.★★★★★ This is the first App I've "Liked" by GhurtE.V.A.H !!!!!- Italy★★★★★ Stupendo! Consigliatissimo by BlackLord84Bellissimo game per tutti, davvero un piccolo capolavoro. Provatelo, divertimento e assuefazione garantita al 100%.Complimenti.- United States★★★★★ The multiplayer in this game is awesome by mondi_itunesOne of the best concurrent multiplayer games I've played!★★★★★ Harakawesome! by Jesus IbarraThis is a great game, from one of the best animation companies on the net, great job Studio Joho, patiently awaiting for your Dan the Man game, please make that game!!!- Japan★★★★★ 簡単で楽しい!by NickRamuda操作は簡単で、ゲームが楽しい!PONG見たいなゲームで、PONGより面白いです。スキルアップの方法はまだ詳しく分かりませんけど、もう嵌ってます。(^O^)- United Kingdom★★★★★ Fun! by KinzleonardThis is very addictive!- Sweden★★★★★ Kul spel! by NirymnirymEtt spel som verkligen utnyttjar touch-skärmen på ett effektivt. Bra både för en och två spelare. Lätt att komma igång men utmanande längre fram. Mycket fartfyllda multiplayer-matcher. Den som fegar är rökt. Rekommenderas!