Swing the Bat Review: Even If You Can’t Fly, You Can Still Have a Swinging Good Time

Swing The Bat Review for iPhone-4

Swing The Bat Review for iPhone-4

[rating: 3/5]

Swing the Bat Review: The game has nothing to do with baseball. In this game you are a Tarzan-like bat (you know, the mammal) that swings from tree to tree while learning to fly.

It’s a bit like Cut the Rope or Bouncy Mouse, with your bat throwing Spidey-silk at trees and swinging between them. You touch the screen to throw a strand, which catches a nearby tree. You then swing from that strand and release your touch to get the best possible arc for catching the next tree, all while picking up some fruit, or avoiding the annoyances like pandas and monkeys that get in your way. If you pick up enough fruit, you can even fly on your own for brief periods. Touching the screen will allow you to fly upwards; releasing will have you drifting downwards again. But it doesn’t last. Pretty soon you’ll be back to your swinging ways.

Swing The Bat Review for iPhone-3

One of the best elements of this game is the swing meter. When you catch a tree, a colored arc appears giving you feedback on the best timing to release your bat for a good swing. It’s an easy device to understand, but not always easy to execute.

The game’s music has a bit of a comedy-spy-movie feel to it; it’s bright and a bit bouncy. The cartoon style is fun and the bright colors help you identify important elements. For instance, some trees aren’t up to the task of supporting a swinging bat. They have segments that are much darker (burnt? rotted?), which makes it easy to spot them once you know what you’re looking for.

Swing The Bat Review for iPhone-2

While fun to play, this game feels like Chillingo is trying to get mileage out of its string physics assets. It’s a different adaptation of those physics, but it doesn’t feel like there’s much game that was built around it. Physics for physics sake has limited value in holding players’ attention. There are objectives to each level that introduce new obstacles or skills, and there are rewards, such as costumes, to go along with them. But somehow it’s just not enough to get invested in the game.

Swing The Bat Review for iPhone-1

Swing the Bat isn’t a bad game. It’s fun and easy to play, and can be difficult to get good at. But with only two game modes and a limited storyline, it seems like there are other games that give you more bang for the buck. However, if you like the string physics games, there’s enough variation from the others to make it worth a look.

Pros:

  • Touch control is easy yet hard
  • The swing meter is a really helpful device.
  • Graphic style makes elements easily identifiable

Cons:

  • Not quite sure what the mission is. Thin storyline.

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