Publisher: Apple iTunes
Developer: EOTIS Ltd. (http://www.eotis.com)
Released: 2014
Platform: iOS
Price: Free (With ads)
£0.69 (Ad free)
Website: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/space-hoppers/id929582857
Summary
Space Hoppers is a great fun little game, with an excellent implementation of the Physical Group Gaming concept. If you have the resources, the multiplayer gameplay is great fun at parties or social gatherings, particularly as a way of bringing kids together in game. That said, the game is fun for all ages and me and my friends had fun playing it at Hogmanay! The singleplayer mode is somewhat let down by the lack of a progression system which impacts re-playability, and the secondary controls are not mentioned in the instructions, which may lead some to not play the game in certain situations (such as on public transport). Overall, the multiplayer is a gleaming gem of a concept, and the app is easy and great fun to use! It is also free, so it is absolutely worth a look to give a unique concept for smartphones a go!
Introduction
So this is my first ever review of a smartphone game. Smartphone games are whole different kettle of fish from the games I'm used to playing. People play smartphone games to have fun, without getting into long, complex stories that are more associated with PC and console titles.
Space Hoppers Bubble Beach Party is the first game release from EOTIS and is the vanguard of the Physical Group Gaming concept: gaming as part of a group in a physical setting on a virtual stage. It's one of the best attempts I've seen in recent years to promote positive interaction in an ever more modernised world. While the concept is probably more aimed at kids (where learning to interact is very important!), the game does provide fun for all ages and I'll talk about that later in the review.
Gameplay
On to the game itself. You control your Space Hopper by tilting your device and make it jump by.... well.... jumping! You can also make your hopper jump by pressing and holding the screen, although this wasn't mentioned in the instructions; which left me frustratedly swiping at the screen to try to get my hopper to jump, until I eventually realised you just press and hold as a secondary was of jumping!
The object of the game is to get highest score by collecting the most bubbles. You get additional points for getting a combo of bubbles in quick succession and also for doing questionable things to seagulls! There are a variety of power-ups and traps to help and hinder you along the way. The game currently features 3 game modes; Arcade, Knock-out and Catch All (no missing!) for you to play in single and multiplayer.
Multiplayer
Multiplayer gameplay is really where Space Hoppers shines. For the first time that I've seen, this game elevates smartphone games to the level of enjoyment from similar concepts available for Wii, Xbox Kinect and PlayStation Move: titles that are already established activities at parties and other group events. As this concept advances though development of this and future apps, I'm sure we will start to see smartphones being able to be used more and more for social interaction, and not for the anti-social gaming image smartphones currently have.
But to the game itself! In the multiplayer, an iPad or Apple TV acts as the screen (host) for other iPhone and iPad devices to connect to. Each device acts as it's own controller for that player. Each player then has to collect as many bubbles as they can while trying to keep away from other players who will be trying to steal your (and everyone else's bubbles)! In arcade mode, the aim of the game is have the highest score when the timer reaches zero. Knock-out mode is round based and any players that fail to best the challenge of the round are knocked out until just one player is left. Catch-All is an interesting gamemode where the players have to act as a team to catch all the bubbles and not let any hit the floor.
While I feel that the concept and game is largely aimed it kids, the game is fun for all ages, and I broke the game out for multiplayer at Hogmanay. We had good fun bounding across the living room trying to catch the bubbles, and we're a group of graduates in our twenties! I echo what I said earlier: with more and more kids owning smartphones, this game, and indeed the Physical Group Gaming concept, is truly commendable for promoting physical activity and positive interactions in a time where kids are seen to becoming increasing anti-social. The ease of use and solid controls have set a good benchmark for the games to come!
Singleplayer
The singleplayer gameplay is, however, definitely secondary to the multiplayer mode. While singleplayer has exactly the same game modes available as multiplayer, I worry that the lack of any kind of progression system hampers the re-playability of the game: power-ups are present in the game, but the game lacks a system of unlocking or upgrading them, as you would find in some other smartphone titles. This would have been a good way to encourage use of the singleplayer mode, which I feel is left lacking. The same level (the beach party) time after time would also get repetitive, particularly discouraging for younger audiences. Although the game does advertise a the customisation of your Space Hoppers and the backdrop, but I wasn't able to find any options to initiate this within the game.
The other issue I have with the singleplayer mode is the sociability of the controls, particularly as the secondary controls are not mentioned in the instructions, which I mentioned earlier. Bouncing about the place is all fine and good in your own living room, but I imagine it would raise many blood pressures on, say, the bus or the train. I feel that by missing out on those instructions, some people may avoid using the singleplayer mode in public. Also, while there is a secondary control for jumping, there are no secondary controls for moving side to side: you must physically tilt the device. While I'm aware that once of the ideas of the game is to promote physical activity in a game setting, the I feel the lack of full touchscreen controls may limit people playing the game in busy surroundings, which isn't ideal.
Criticisms
I do have one major issue with the app, and that is the amount of equipment needed to make the multiplayer work. We had to do some serious resource pooling to make the multiplayer work, as only a few of us had iPads or iPhones and only one with an iPad new enough to act as host for the multiplayer. iPhones and iPads are very expensive pieces of kits, and not everyone has them. This could limit the audience of the game.
Having said that, I do immediately come to the aid of the developers: as a computer programmer myself, there is an obvious appeal in working with in an infrastructure where all the hardware and operating systems are built by one producer with little variation. But with only around 25% of the UK market share, making a device for iOS only does limit the audience. The logical, but not trivial progression would be being able to make the app for Andriod and Windows Mobile operating systems AND being able to make them talk to each other so that everyone could play together regardless of the device. Additionally, the app only supports "beaming" to Apple TV's (for those who would rather use a proper screen). Beaming to all enabled TV's would be a great feature, but I do not know if iOS products allow that as Andrioid does.
Having never programmed for smartphone devices, I do not know the feasibility of any of this and as big a bugbear as it is, I do struggle to fault the developers for it - particularly since it is a great concept and a great game, with good implementation.
Summary (Again)
Space Hoppers is a great fun little game, with an excellent implementation of the Physical Group Gaming concept. If you have the resources, the multiplayer gameplay is great fun at parties or social gatherings, particularly as a way of bringing kids together in activity. However, the game is fun for all ages and my friends and I had fun playing it at Hogmanay! The singleplayer mode is somewhat let down by the lack of a progression system which impacts re-playability, and the secondary controls are not mentioned in the instructions, which may lead some to not play the game in certain situations (such as on public transport). Overall the multiplayer is gleaming gem of a concept, and the app is easy and great fun to use! It is also free, so it is absolutely worth a look to give a unique concept for smartphones a go!
I hope you've enjoyed reading my first ever review on a smartphone game, don't forget to check it out on the iTunes store - you can also follow the links at the top of this page!
Thanks for reading,
Hibblejaybob