S&S; Mobile Review: Pangolin

Title: Pangolin
Format: iOS
Release Date: December 15th, 2012
Publisher: FeedTank
Developer: FeedTank
Price: Free ($1.99 for extra levels)
ESRB Rating: 4+

A charmingly quirky puzzler that will keep you entertained for hours. 

GAMEPLAY

As Pangolin seemingly contains no story, the overall experience falls heavily on the gameplay, and luckily for us, it holds up amazingly well. The goal of the game is to launch a ball-shaped lizard into a target area across large maps using only electric powered trampolines. While this description may seem absolutely absurd, the game executes on the obscure plot perfectly, creating a highly addictive puzzler. In addition to just getting the lizard across, the player is also tasked with avoiding spikes, while also utilizing speed boosters, portals, and much more. The player is also restricted with a certain amounts of trampolines they can deploy in each level. FeedTank has done an awesome job balancing the difficulty of this game because it always stays challenging enough to be interesting and engaging, but never too hard to the point of frustration. The only downfall I experienced was the lack of levels, as there are currently only 2 worlds with a total of 50 levels. Luckily, FeedTank plans on releasing two other worlds, each with 40 levels, in the near future.

CONTROLS

The controls for Pangolin are very accessible and easy to use. Essentially all you have to do is tap two different spots on your screen to form and electro trampoline. If you tap two points that are close it will produce a smaller trampoline with a "weaker" bounce, and if the points are far apart then the trampoline becomes larger and "stronger."

PRESENTATION

Sone of my favorite things about Pangolin are its unique cartoonish aesthetic and great soundtrack. McBride Sound Design did a stunning job crafting a mellow soundtrack that matches Pangolins simple and relaxing gameplay.

Overall Pangolin is a great little gem of a game tucked away in the AppStore, that truly deserves to be brought to the fore front of gamers attention. Pangolin is easily one of the best mobile games of the year, and is a must own for puzzle game enthusiasts. 

                            S&S Rating: 9.5/10

                            @DrMrPHD