Kid Vector Review
PROS
- Simple, and yet enticing with its vector art.
- Replay value in trying to obtain time, coin, and star minimums.
CONS
- Heavy frame rate and crash issues.
- Tricky design, but the controls are lacking in tightness.
VERDICT
A fun little platformer using a different take on appealing to nostalgia, but suffers from performance issues.
- Full Review
- App Store Info
In the last few years, there's been an increase in pixel art as a popular style for games. Some of this is that it can be easier to create, but the most prevalent reason is that it throws back nostalgically to the games of many of our childhoods, and as most of us have found out through our lives, mostly to our dismay, nostalgia can color an experience in a positive way based on its connections to our past, regardless of the experience's overall quality. Kid Vector has taken a different artistic approach, but for the same reasons, replacing pixels with splines, invoking the memory of games like Battlezone or Major Havoc.
It's back to basics with this platformer. You're armed with nothing but a double jump, and each level has you avoiding all manner of deathly traps and enemies on your way to the goal. There's a hidden star in each level, and medals for collecting all the coins, or completing the level under time, but aside from that it's trial and error as the levels require more precise platforming and dodging ability. Usually on screen buttons are the weak link where platformers are concerned on the iPhone, but the controls respond well and allow you to complete the maneuvers that the game asks of you. No what lets you down and will kill you more often than not are the performance issues. The game contains terrible framerate lag which can really mess up a jump, not to mention that there are frequent crashes as well. Needless to say having the game quit on you on a regular basis somewhat hampers the experience.
Now what of the vector art? There's a simplistic joy to the colors and the layout, and the design of many of the creatures only gets better the further you travel. Does this mean now that we'll see a slew of vector art style games? Only time will tell, but at least for now it's a unique approach.
While Kid Vector offers nothing special in its mechanics, it's obviously designed to appeal to nostalgia, and a simpler type of game with a simpler type of style. In this it succeeds, and if the performance problems can be rectified, this title can easily offer some old school entertainment.
Screenshots
$2.99
