Infestor Review
PROS
- A platformer that is more about thoughtful progression than crazily timed jumps.
- Very short levels; truly an ad-break game.
CONS
- Quite a few glitches.
- Nothing you have to think about for more than a second.
VERDICT
Inhabit the bodies of humans that have one innate quality needed to get you to the next human or the end of the level. It's short, to the point, and fun.
- Full Review
- App Store Info
Ravenous Games are the makers of the League of Evil games. Infestor has a very similar button layout and almost the same visual style. It wouldn't be a leap of logic to assume that this is another crazy gauntlet of platforming finesse served up in iOS ready bite-sized levels. This game takes a different path however, sacrificing twitch platforming skill for a more slow-paced thoughtful approach. Well when I say thoughtful, I mean it in loose terms. Let's just say that this puzzle platformer requires little brain power, but because the levels are short enough to complete a few of them when you have a couple minutes to spare, this aids the experience rather than hindering it. So let's discuss what exactly Infestor is all about.
You are a life-form that can inhabit the bodies of humans, bending them to your will and then discarding them in gooey chunks when you are done with them. The goal of each short level is to reach the pipe that connects you to the next level, so your oozing game of body possession can continue unhindered. You have arrow keys to move, a jump button, and an infesting button (plus an extra button appears when you infest the guard, although its placement is quite cumbersome). Like the other platformers under the developer's belt, the controls here are very nicely honed and aside from the extra placement, offer no problems whatsoever.
Each human has one task that they perform to the the detriment of all others. Some jump high, some push blocks, some open doors, and some have a gun that goes “pew pew pew”, shooting things. Taking over their body will put the infestor's head on their shoulders, and pressing the infesting button will explode the human, catapulting you into the sky (which is a great way to reach the exit in many levels). Seeing each human only has one task, it isn't too hard to infest the human in front of you, then travel through the level before you see a door or a box, and then execute the solution. It would have been nice to have some more elaborate level design, but as stated before, the levels are bite-sized. This is a true ad break game, and if you had to think too hard about progression, this tone would be broken. Does this mean that some will find the game dull and repetitive? Of course, but that can be said with every title really.
The version of the game reviewed was quite glitchy however. Your character would often get stuck while pushing crates, and the game never registered achievements, so every time you infested someone, you would get the achievement for infesting your first human. Mere annoyances aside, Infestor is quite fun. Because you're not thinking too hard about a solution, it becomes more a 'going through the motions' as you complete level after level, and this can often be a rewarding game experience. And due to its low-fi presentation, no one is going to be visually upset by what this nasty little alien is doing to our species. Just sit back and enjoy the ride!