iOS App-Aholics Anonymous: [He-Man: The Most Powerful Game in the Universe]

App Name: He-Man: The Most Powerful Game in the Universe
Developer: Chillingo Ltd
Last Update: 10-22-12
Price: $0.99
App-Aholic Rating: 4/5
Watch it Here: Official Game Trailer

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There’s no need to embellish: He-Man was never really my cup-a java when I was growing up. However, EA’s mobile gaming platform, Chillingo, is a prominent name on the AppStore. With that positive reputation and the cartoon-drawn graphics, He-Man seemed worth a look.

The bitter-sweet taste of invisible controls: Anyone who’s been sticking these reviews out with me for the past thirty-something games knows how much I adore touchscreen controls (mainly of the virtual joystick nature.) So when I found that He-Man utilized an invisible scheme, I was intrigued. As you can see from the pictures below, the screen is divided into two quadrants, the left for movement and the right for offense and jumping.

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There’s definitely a great advantage to the above-mentioned control setup, as you’re not confined to a small joystick and action button for character movement. The downside is that the wider range of functional landscape makes the character less responsive to abrupt gestures, which (as you may have guessed), can be executed much easier with a joystick/action button format.

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Self-Esteem Builder? Even one measly star earns you the right to be called “princely.” Lucky you.

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App-Aholics Rating: 4.0; The most powerful game in the Universe? That’s a large name to live up to. With a little bit more consideration into the depth of gameplay, He-Man may have come closer to that. However, perfect scores at 8DAG must be earned, and He-Man was a bit short. While the idea of the invisible control scheme is interesting, the functionality of it can seem lethargic at times, forcing antagonistic fates to befall your character when such events could otherwise be avoided. Also, the level of difficulty is toned down quite a bit, so much so that I can’t shake the uncanny feeling that He-Man was created for a younger generation. This claim, of course, would be preposterous, as the He-Man series is a product of the older generation who would appreciate a higher skill prerequisite to complete the adventure. Yet, there seems to be no other logical explanation.

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Bottom Line: Whether or not Chillingo’s He-Man is a successful take on the classic cartoon series, I’m not at liberty to say. However, based on Chillingo’s reputation for offering decent iOS titles for cheap prices, He-Man is a reasonable waste of time for any gamers infatuated by side scrolling RPG platformers.

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Sound Off: Now, folks, it’s your turn! Do you have any thoughts, opinions, or general comments about the He-Man and/or its developer, Chillingo Ltd? I personally reply to every comment, and I’d love to hear what you have to say! Just take your cranial debris and throw it down in the box below!

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