daWindci Review
PROS
- Elegant visuals; mixture of illustrated 2D and 3D elements mesh perfectly.
- Relaxing music to drop players in to a zen-like mode.
- Easy to pick up gameplay.
- Challenge scales with the addition of varied puzzle elements.
CONS
- Controls lacking in finesse; swiping a fraction too far or too little can be disastrous.
- Replays required to complete all challenges; no major incentive to do so.
VERDICT
daWindci is a relaxing physics based challenge that's easy to enjoy, though it's best enjoyed somewhere calm and quiet to get the full effect.
- Full Review
- App Store Info
While sailing through the air in a hot-air balloon may be a relaxing experience for most, daWindci by Reality Twist adds a bit more action to the proceedings as you attempt to break time records while solving puzzles, collecting items and avoiding hazards that are ready to pop your high-flying ride.
Players have no direct control over their balloon and instead they'll need to use indirect physics based controls to ambulate around the stage they're on. In particular, swiping the screen will produce a gust of wind that the balloon will obligingly follow before the puff peters out. Swirling the screen will also produce a whirlwind, handy for destroying houses to collect objects or more importantly to hit switches for many of the game's precise timing challenges. Hitting the mountainous walls (or worse-yet, thorny plants) will cause damage to your dirigible, while other hazards such as dense forests provide an inconvenient barrier that must be pushed through to proceed. This can be made all the more frustrating by the controls that can at times feel horribly imprecise, though practice and patience does make things easier over time.
While making your way through the 45 currently available levels is almost a breeze thanks to the low-pressure gameplay, attempting to collect all the bonuses on the way can prove to be far more challenging as replays are needed to either carefully prevent any damage to your craft; to work out exact timings for speedy runs; or patient exploration to find all of the collectables that are available. Thanks to the elegant hand-drawn looking 3D effects and relaxing music it's easy to find yourself in a zen-like mode, making repeat plays that much easier as you simply go with the flow.
daWindci takes a fairly standard idea and makes it appealing thanks to its unique presentation and theme while adding in just the right amount of variety to keep the challenge fresh until the end. If you enjoy physics challenges with a minor puzzle twist, this is the game for you.
Screenshots
$1.99
