JOE DANGER TOUCH - REVIEW
Unlike the PS3 and Xbox Joe Danger games, Joe auto accelerates and it’s up to the player to tap on key objects or hold to duck and release to jump. There are a number of other methods to move and manipulate Joe and as the game progresses and you’ll discover that you need to really concentrate and at times use two hands to fully complete some levels. It does get a bit fiddly later on, making the game almost unplayable in a slouched or casual position, but the overall experience is very smooth and the game uses the touch controls well.
Aesthetically the game is stunning and runs incredibly smooth. The characteristic approach, the same as the Xbox and PS3 versions, holds it’s graceful presence beautifully on the iPad screen and at times I found myself pausing the game just to get a close up look at the comical and magnificent world around Joe. The game also boasts an adorable sound track, great characters and a simple and clear interface.
Players begin with the easiest stages and are guided through the different maneuvers which start from simply ducking and jumping obstacles to later spinning in the air and pulling wheelies. Each level has three objectives with one of them being to finish or come first if it is a race. The other two are either to collect all the coins, collect the full word ‘danger’ by tapping each letter, collect all the stars or perfectly succeed in each trick (by perfectly timing each jump, duck and so on). Each stage also has a bonus and race stage, the bonus stage being a good chance to collect a lot of coins which can be used to buy costumes. It’s not really clear as to why you need these costumes except to look different or for slight combo, score or coin bonuses, but some events require you to be wearing a certain costume, thus comes the whole point of collecting coins or perhaps even purchasing them through the in game store. Prices range from 69p for the lowest amount of coins to £8.99 for all the coins you’ll ever need. Fortunately the game at no point recommends you buying more coins and just collecting the coins through playing earns enough to unlock a lot of costumes as well as give an extra reason to come back and play more.
The races in the game are the highlight of the fun but unfortunately there is only one race per stage (each stage consisting of 6-7 levels). In the race you have to compete against a single computer controlled opponent and though it may be confusing as to how to race in an auto-accelerating, single track game, you can perform actions such as wheelies to gain speed boosts and at times switch lanes to find the faster routes. To fully complete the race and get the pro medal you may also have to collect all the coins or all the stars which adds to the tension of the race and the reason to go back and try again, even if you come in first position. I would have liked to have seen more variety in this section of the game as competing with someone is more exciting than simply collecting all objectives but sadly there are only a handful of races and no multiplayer. Fortunately though there is still a lot to do in Joe Danger Touch. I found myself replaying the earlier levels over and over again to get the pro medals (completing all objectives) but the later levels are more a challenge and are therefore require more time and even more attempts to fully complete. There are also Hello Games logos to find and collect in each level as well as scores to beat and leaderboards to climb. Once completing a level and achieving the pro medal, the game also suggests challenging a friend through Game Centre to see if they can match your skill. Not something a lot of people would use but it does offer blagging rights for those that have mastered the later and most difficult levels.
VERDICT
Joe Danger is a beautiful and enjoyable game that holds the same quality as it’s Xbox and PS3 siblings. Simple but difficult to master, the game has a lot to offer and will keep you coming back for more to get all of those badges. Though disappointing in the lack of multiplayer and race events, it makes up for it with charming visuals, addictive gameplay and a theme tune you can’t help but whistle along to.
8/10
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