Inkub HD [rating: 3/5]
Inkub HD for Mac is a kind of tower defense game, which is set in the incubator rooms of an alternate world. It features a different look from most games of its genre, and bright colourful graphics with a nice intro. I took it for a whirl to see how it plays on OS X.
The main menu of Inkub has a nice bunch of menu features, including different play modes and information on enemies and weapons – both of which you can unlock more of as you progress.
Here are the key game modes:
Adventure
In the Adventure Mode you will be in charge of the incubators for 40 rounds spread across 5 different worlds. Each world has 8 rounds in which you will unlock weapons, special powers and enemies.
Survival
Choose a scenario amongst the 5 available and try to keep your incubator safe as long as possible. Each new wave of enemies will be tougher and you will need all your skills to achieve the best scores.
The general look and feel, as well as the execution of the game’s interface is very much like an iOS app. There are iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch versions of Inkub, and this is probably a text book example of a game that is portable across all the platforms Apple make. So that is what it appears as if the developer has done. Nothing wrong with that. It is simply an observation. But unfortunately because of this my first impression of Inkub HD was that it was a little simplistic for a desktop game. And this initial impression was borne out as I dug deeper.
Inkub HD features 3 difficulty levels and 5 different worlds each with 8 rounds.
You can also rotate the play area to reveal hidden tubes, and activate some hidden rounds.
Gameplay is solid, and revolves around the usual fare in tower defence games; where one strategically places weaponry to defend your base. Except in this case the base is an egg in an incubator, and the enemies that you place weaponry to defend against are crawling down vent tubes connected to your incubating egg.
As the game progresses you unlock more versatile weapons, and your incubating room gets more vent pipes. At the same time the enemies get more abundant and also change in variety.
All of this is played out against the backdrop of a planet, and a gradually more cluttered incubator room.
Sound effects are cool. And the look and feel of everything is done competently. And this game would look great on a smaller screen I expect. But even on a 17″ laptop display the graphics, whilst well drawn, are too big, and the animations are too clunky for my tastes.
I was not really keen on the way that the vent tubes had some sections that were impossible to see through. This meant that enemies could disappear and reappear going round bends in tubes, which is actually a fun twist. But also made the play area, that is already constrained to the vent tubes, feel all the more sparse on a big screen with lots of irrelevant atmospheric activity going on around it.
Overall I found Inkub HD very easy. And a little too slow in its progression.
For a kid, playing a tower defence game for the first time, Inkub HD would probably be a great introduction to this genre on either the Mac or iPad – while a little too simplistic for an adult. On an iPod Touch or iPhone I think it would be quite a good game for anyone in an idle moment.
But overall as a Mac App, as cheap and as cheerful and as well implemented as this game is, it’s a little too “blaa”.
The Good
- Great game for a younger player who wants a Tower Defense intro.
- Well presented, and professionally crafted.
- Looks great, despite being a little too bland visually.
The Not So Good
- Way too easy as a game.
- Actual gameplay area feels constrained sometimes.
- Looks way too simple on a big screen.
$3.99 (View in iTunes)
Category: Games
Released: Mar 01, 2011
Version: 1.0.0
Size: 22.4 MB
Language: English
Seller: 46 To Shinjuku Medialab, S.L.
© 46 To Shinjuku Medialab, S.L.
Rated 9+ for the following:
Frequent/Intense Cartoon or Fantasy Violence
Requirements: Mac OS X 10.6.6 or later