Kiki Fish Review: Kiki is a terrified little fish in a big ocean. He’s not much of a swimmer but he can be flung around to either capture or avoid the passing sea life.
Kiki doesn’t go far; it feels a bit like bouncing off the walls of an aquarium. But the little space abounds with items to be captured or avoided. The game has a “falling from the sky” paradigm. Objects float through the water from top to bottom. Stars are good and urchins are bad, among other things. You control Kiki in the style of Angry Birds, by touching the screen, turning him in the correct direction, pulling back a bit, and lifting your finger to let him dart away.
Like any fish, Kiki can be a bit slippery to control. He can spin and bounce and be a bit much to get turned in the right direction. But that’s part of the appeal. About the time you think you’re doing well, you find he’s flipped upside down and darts off the other way. And he’s not a very precise swimmer, so the proximity of the good items to the bad items can tax your skills.
Kiki is a cute little thing in a beautiful environment. Bright primary colors make it a happy game and make it easy to spot the elements. There’s no music, but fun sound effects provide feedback. Both sight and sound support the simple nature of the game.
I wasn’t able to play Kiki Fish on my iPhone as I have a CDMA device. Kiki Fish requires iOS 4.3, and the CDMA machines aren’t on that version yet. However, it worked just fine on my 1st gen iPad. Word has it that a soon-to-be-released update will allow it to be installed on CDMA iPhones. And there is also a native iPad version on its way as well.
Kiki Fish ($.99, App Store) is a happy, uncomplicated game that proves to be more difficult than it appears. If you’ve played enough Angry Birds and want something just a bit different, check out Kiki Fish to test your flinging skills.
Pros:
- Simple interface, but difficult to master
- Cute visuals make for easy identification of game elements
- Quick progression through the levels keeps the game interesting
Cons:
- Kiki can be a bit unruly to control
- Couldn’t play on a CDMA iPhone (soon to be resolved by an update)
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One Comment on ““Kiki Fish for iPhone: It’s a Big Ocean Out There for a Little Fish””
Strange, ’cause one of the things I loved the most about this game was the music. Maybe it has some bugs on iPad just yet? I’ve been playing with iPod, hope the next update brings the nice a bit melancholic music in Thomas Newman style to everyone, not just me ))