They Need To Be Fed Review

By , on December 2, 2010


They Need To Be Fed
Download on the AppStore
4 out of 5

PROS

  • Smooth gravity based platforming.
  • Unlockable secret levels.
  • Interesting and challenging achievements.

CONS

  • Easy to finish in a relatively short sitting.

VERDICT

They Need To Be Fed takes something as simple as attempting to jump between platforms and transforms it in to a fun mechanic all by itself; a charming title to play.


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By and large, one of the biggest challenges in most platformers is mastering the game's jumping mechanics to navigate an increasingly complex environment. Whether you're timing your jump to land just before making a kill or attempting to reach that elusive power-up, it's a struggle we've all shared. They Need To Be Fed by YoYo Games simplifies things by preventing players from being able to 'fall', but in its place is a gravity system that's just as likely to challenge your timing and dexterity.

There's no shooting or bad-guys per-se, but environmental hazards such as homing missiles, spikes, lasers and deadly orbs form an array of obstacles that need to be avoided if you're going to feed your cute little creature to the monster at the end. The game's touch controls are easy enough to master, however flinging yourself between platforms results in the gravity shifting around your player and trickier levels will require you to learn how to manipulate your flight path to reach a safe landing point.

The clean silhouetted visuals are stark and simple in contrast to the bold colored backgrounds that are matched with a jazzy background tune that will be stuck in your head all day long. Each level features a number of gems that can be collected to unlock new chapters, but once you have 99 gems you'll unlock the 'x' levels - a series of short levels with alternate puzzles that could easily have had chapters of their own.

Outside of spending your time attempting to complete all the achievements, They Need To Be Fed won't take players too long to finish, but for a game this fun it's a complaint hardly worth mentioning as what you do get is almost as good as it can get.

Screenshots

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