[app url=”https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/lab-squab/id914331710?mt=8″]
Introduction
Today I’m reviewing Lab Squab by Nico Friedrich, a run and escape game much like Temple Run and Subway Surfers but in 2D. It also has its own set of features, like an elaborate multiplayer mode and other mechanics. But is the game itself good in general? Read on to find out!
Escaping the lab
In Lab Squab you play as a bird trying to escape a mad man lab. The objective is to get as far away from it as possible, progressing throughout randomly generated worlds and collecting coins along the way. The screen scrolls automatically and its your job to stay on these lines and jump from one to another.
Now this is where things got a little weird for me. The tutorial clearly mentions that you tap the screen for the bird to jump, but when I actually put it into practice it wasn’t long before my bird went all ways but the correct one and the game came across immediately kind of glitchy.
Lots of frustration
I don’t know wether this game was made this hard intentionally, but I had a lot of trouble just jumping from one rope to another in the beginning. You have absolutely no control over your bird other than swiping a rope from the right making your bird jump back a bit, but the screen scrolls so fast that you nearly don’t have enough time to maneuver it in the right direction.
Timing and estimating jumps is an absolute nightmare and even though the game offers quite a number of great power-ups that make it more fun the game is just too buggy. Nothing seems to work like it should which is a shame because it looks and feels like a very high quality production.
After spending enough time with the game you will get the hang of it a little more but I can’t seem to think for a reason why a game would want to drive away new players so fast.
There is, however, a lot to do for the veterans who do manage to gain skill in Lab Squab. There’s a beautifully working multiplayer mode for up to four players and with the game being so hard and clunky its always kind of a thrill to see who will manage the longest.
Our conclusion
Lab Squab looks absolutely stunning and clearly a lot of work and thought has been put into designing it. It’s just too bad that the game is almost unbearable to learn and play and you will likely give up after a short period of time.
The frustration piles up higher because each time you die an add shows up, which is a lot. I’d like to challenge you to try the app for yourself and see if you can get far in the game because I got frustrated with it quite fast. There is a lot of great potential with Lab Squab but it certainly isn’t realized just yet.
Lab Squab requires iOS 7.1 and is also compatible with iPhone