iOS App-Aholics Anonymous: [MANOS: The Hands of Fate]

App Name: MANOS: The Hands of Fate
Developer: FreakZone
Launch Date: 7-24-12
Price: $1.99
App-Aholic Rating: 4/5
Watch it Here: Official Game Trailer

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What a lineup the AppStore saw this past week! Nevertheless, only one game could rise above the others to claim victory in this installment of iOS-AAA, brought to you, of course, by #8DAG.

With the wonderful feats the current iDevices are capable of (with their Retina screens, dual core processors, etc), sometimes it’s nice to see a classic throwback. With the old-school graphics and 8-bit sounds, you’ll swear your iPhone/iPad just threw you back into the good ole 80’s/90’s!

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TRUTH BE TOLD: Having retro-style games coming to our advanced mobile devices is like a blessing to anyone who grew up when “retro” was modern; it’s the ultimate way to reminisce those childhood years. Of course, we’ve seen many console titles reappear on the AppStore, such as the Sonic series and MegaMan X (one of my personal adolescent faves), but how incredible would it be to see even more old ports show up (and perform well) on the current iDevices? Nintendo, this means YOU!

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NEGATIVES: This game pulls directly from the 8-bit era with NO exceptions. Do you remember when save options first started to show up? All Manos will keep track of is your 5 consecutive lives and a high score. Other than that, any exiting from your current playing stage in any way will result in starting over at Stage 1. *sigh*

RANDOM BUG: Game will become locked in a massive lag or slow-motion glitch when coming out of the pause option during gameplay or when receiving a banner notification of some sort during gameplay.

MIXED SIGNALS: These types of classical games typically lack depth in storyline. Luckily, what they’re missing is usually made up for in playability. That said, the controls are spot-on

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iOS-AAA Rating: 4.0, for an impressive replica of everything that made classical game a classic! Despite its minor flaws, MANOS is the retro side-scroller with the modern stability of the advanced iOS devices. The only option that could’ve given MANOS that final point, in my opinion, is the addition of a save option.

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BOTTOM LINE: This is a fun game, but it is also a difficult one. Be prepared for the ensuing frustration!

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