Game Review Lifeboat: Fresh, Addictive and Challenging

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Lifeboat [rating: 4/5]

If your a fan of those pick up and play games where the rules are simple, success is hard and addictiveness is high then come aboard S.S. Anchor and get ready for playability by the boat load.

Ahoy there ya Swabs! Get ready for a spine tingling adventure on the high seas that will have you swimming with the sharks.

Featuring accelerometer and touch-driven casual gameplay, along with a humorous sound track and incredible visuals, Lifeboat will keep you entertained for hours on end.

The story behind the game is that on the maiden voyage of the S.S. Anchor the ship goes missing, however, you have the chance to bring the ship home via the challenge of saving the passengers from the sinking ship via the stream of lifeboats that attend the scene. This is not easy though as not only do you have to steer the passengers to there lifeboat’s, which is no easy thing as they roll about the deck seemingly drunk from the sea sickness, but you also have to avoid the hungry sharks, crocodiles and the possibility of drowning.

You can play the game either in Quick Play mode, save as many passengers before time runs out, or Campaign mode where you get to navigate your sinking vessel to safety via a selection of increasingly difficult levels. Whichever option you choose the basics are the same. The game is played from a birds eye perspective of the ship and every time the game launches the game re-calibrates so even if you move from standing, sitting to lying down the accelerometer will also be set appropriately. This is extremely important too as the maneuvering of the passengers to the lifeboats is done via the accelerometer as you rock the boat from side to side rolling the passengers to their life craft.

The passengers pile out from below deck and as you direct them to safety many of them will flounder into oceans waters where crocodiles and sharks will be waiting to pounce. You don’t have to wait for your passengers to become shark meat though as a swift tap of them will see a life ring thrown to them as they are pulled back on deck.

It’s important to rescue as many of your passengers too as you only have a limited supply of passengers to save, run out of passengers or run out of time and it’s game over as your ship will sink to the bottom of the sea with it’s ghostly treasure. Although the premise may be slightly grizzly the looks aren’t. The graphics are bold and clear and the sounds makes the task of rescuing drowning men and women positively enjoyable! The control of the boat may require a learning curve but that is more due to the unusual movement of the boat rather than bad controls and it’s soon overcome.

The campaign mode also helps with the control of the ship as the more people you rescue the more money you’ll earn that you can in turn spend on improvements such as increased ballast, swimming lessons and water pumps.

The game is for single player but there is an option to load your high scores online to see how well you compare to other players around the world.

If you’ve bought Lifeboat then you’ve found yourself a 99c treat!

official-app-store-badge_touch_4Price $0.99

The Good

  • Fresh idea well executed
  • Re-calibration on launch of each level
  • Addictive

The Not So Good

  • Questionable humor not to everyones taste
  • Passenger control can be frustrating
  • No multi-player

Reviewed By: Craig Willis

Lifeboat Gameplay Video

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Muke03rNDx0]

Lifeboat Screenshots

15 Comments on “Game Review Lifeboat: Fresh, Addictive and Challenging”

  1. mrholder

    I like the fact that this game adjusts automatically to your position, whether sitting, standing or lying down.

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