Trauma Ted Review

By , on November 28, 2012


Trauma Ted
Download on the AppStore
3 out of 5

PROS

  • The use of wrap around travel in the levels.
  • Small little additions that present new puzzle opportunities.

CONS

  • Kind of sparse and dull presentation wise.

VERDICT

Helping a depressed cat obtain his pain medication through small bite sized levels is a quite enjoyable experience, but it does lack a sense of impact.


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We've all played oh so many games like Trauma Ted. The quick, easy to play bursts of puzzle-y goodness, the simple yet endearing art and music, the level menu strewn with numbered tiles for all the options available. It seems that aside from some revolutionary gameplay ideas, the only thing that can make a game like this interesting after so many others is the premise. Well how about helping an injured cat with a migraine feed his painkiller addiction level by level, utilizing wrap around spacing and some simplistic yet clever uses of physics? Yes, by playing this game you have become a feline junkie enabler. Wear that on your conscience!

The goal of each short level is to get Ted to his magic little pill. Each pill seems to be stuck in a small labyrinth where the floor folds into the ceiling, and the walls fold into each other. Sometimes a block will need to be pushed, either to trigger a switch, or to allow Ted the height to jump and grab his medicine. The controls are very simple. Tilt to move, tap to jump. Ted responds well to your input, and the only frustration you'll have is when you move a block into an end state position, causing you to restart the level.

Now let's discuss the context and art style here. Ted looks clinically depressed. He supposedly has a migraine, but his head is bandaged like he suffered a nasty head wound. The patterns and muted colors of the levels give one the impression of a hospital, or a psych ward, and the entire game is based around pumping this kitty full of narcotics. It's kind of frightening when you stop to think about it, especially as there's such a solid theme throughout the game of sedation and chronic dependency. Even the level selection screen belittles you by insinuating you're a quitter.

OK, so this could be reading a little too far into a simple physics puzzle game on the iOS, but what else are we going to talk about? It controls, plays, and looks well enough, but there's nothing that makes it a crucial gaming experience. We probably should also caution those with real addiction to stay away, lest this feline pill popper trigger a less than ideal reaction. We're watching you Ted.

Screenshots

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