Price: $0.99 Score: 10/10 Category: Games
Grandmaster, published by Art of Bytes, is without question the strangest iPhone game I’ve played all year. Part “how to be a hobo” tutorial, part speed test, and part arcade game, it’s crude, lewd, filthy, and strangely entertaining. And for only a buck, it’s a must-buy.
Believe it or not, you spend most of this game dumpster diving. And stranger still, it’s actually kind of fun. You drag trash off the screen, stopping to eat trashed bits of food to keep up your energy (and occasionally throw empty beer bottles at nosy police officers who want to interrupt your fun.)
The graphics are kinda cartoony and dirty, as befits a game with this offbeat subject matter. The setting is allegedly post-Soviet, and there are plenty of nasty roaches, worms, and more to smash as you quest into the deepest recesses of the darkest dumpsters in the city. All the while, you’ll get treated to a unique soundtrack that is a good fit for the game.
As you go through the various levels, you can collect clothes to wear, as well as rags to keep you warm, and fight tons of different opponents. There are 3 zones in the city you must master, with a boss battle after every 12th level that you must prevail in before you can move along.
It seems like a rude, gross, and kind of offensive game. But even naysayers have to admit that once you play the first few rounds, it’s almost impossible to stop digging through dumpsters and learning lessons from the wise Grandmaster of the homeless. Addictive, raunchy, and surprisingly fun, this iPhone game should not be missed.
Grandmaster is compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation) and iPad. Requires iOS 3.1.3 or later.