Price: $0.99 Score: 9/10 Category: Games
If we had to guess, we’d be comfortable saying that Planet Pete, developed by Nudge GmbH, is the best iPhonegame you’ll play all year (at least when it comes to games that feature flying turtles hurtling through outer space.) If you’ve been looking for an addictive new time waster game, look no further.
Planet Pete consists of two primary game modes: Arcade and Campaign. In Arcade mode, your goal is to gather as many stars and possible and go for the high score.
Interested in more of a story or arc to your gaming experience? Try the campaign mode, where you fight the evil aliens in the universe by rescuing little baby turtles. The campaign mode runs for 72 stages, which means you get a pretty decent bang for your buck.
Adding additional value to your gaming experience is the “Level of the Week,” accessible from the game’s main menu screen. These bonus levels have a higher level of difficulty and some pretty clever level designs. The developers promise a new free level each week for the foreseeable future.
Controls are simple, easy, and responsive. As your turtle runs around each “planet” to gain momentum, simply tap the screen to launch off into space. Each planet has its own gravity, drawing you back to a place where you can gain even more momentum for your next launch. The controls are precise, but don’t require a precise touch: you can tap anywhere on the screen and still get responsive controls.
You can also drag your finger across the screen while in flight to direct your path. And of course, there’s Game Center support (natch), as well as Achievements so you can track your progress and excellent power-ups to keep the game fresh.
Overall, Planet Pete is a fun little time waster that balances outer space action with the fun physics of games like Hedgehog Launch. With just one finger, you can have a ton of fun with this cute iPhone game, which offers a surprising level of difficulty.
Planet Pete is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.2 or later