People with the Nintendo DS or 3DS may just have heard of Ivy the Kiwi. An utterly charming little puzzle game, Ivy was a perfect example of a game that used touch screen-only controls to great effect.
And now it’s on the iPhone and iPad, where it’s even better.
On the iPhone and iPad the game’s distinctive and beautiful art style is rendered in all the gorgeousness that the retina display allows. On the iPad the extra screen size allows for even more comfortable control input. Because the game was always touch-only control it works as well with finger swipes as it ever did with a stylus.
But I’m getting ahead of myself here. Ivy the Kiwi was a sadly overlooked game when it was released, so most people don’t know what it’s about.
At its core, Ivy the Kiwi is an endless runner. Players have no direct control over the adorable Ivy. She just runs around the level and will quite happily impale herself on a spike if it’s in the way. So to prevent Ivy from a premature death, players need to draw vines onto the playing levels. Ivy can walk on these vines, and by strategically placing them around levels she can eventually reach the exit.
Of course, the level design is far more challenging than that. Players will also need to use the flexible vines to rubber-band Ivy into the harder-to-reach areas. There awaits feathers and other treasures – and some of those are difficult enough to drive the perfectionists mad. As cute as Ivy is, her game has some real fangs.
It really is a joy to play though. Swiping the screen to create vines feels intuitive and natural by the end of the first level, and across the 50 levels of the game not once did I feel like a failure was anything but my fault. This is a remarkably comfortable game to play on the touch screen.
It’s also entirely appropriate for mobile gaming. Levels are quite short, and so Ivy works for those short public transport commutes. Because it’s a reasonably challenging and highly engaging game though, it’s also suitable for longer play sessions; it’s clear that this game was built for a gaming console first.
It is an example of a game that works better on smart phones and tablets though. The iPad version of Ivy, especially, is the definitive one thanks to a nice big screen, gorgeous visual style, and plenty of room to swipe and flick the games industry’s premier Kiwi bird mascot around.
– Matt S
Are the other versions of the game as good?
I don't own an iThingy… ._.
Hi 100Shadow! 🙂
Yeah, the DS game is just as good. Not quite as visually detailed, but it's still a beautiful art style, and the stylus controls work really well.
If you can't find the full game cheap, then there is a DSiWare game that has a nice selection of levels available on it. It's much bigger than a demo, and it's a cheap-as-dirt release too.
I don't really recommend the Wii game – I personally found the WiiMote controls quite clunky. But, if you don't have a DS/ 3DS, then it's probably worth persevering with, because the game itself is just plain great fun.
Thanks for the input.
I'll try to find the DS version.
Fingers crossed you find it – let me know if you do and what you think of it 🙂
There was also a Wii version, though I'm not sure how much of a difference (if any) there is between the handheld/portable versions of the game.
Yeah, if you've got no choice, still get the Wii version, because this game is too cute to resist, but it is the inferior one.
At least, until a Wii U version? 😉
Really enjoyed the DS version, and can imagine this looking great on my iPad. Will probably pick this up at some point.
I went back to the DS game to compare and contrast – I do think the iPad version is the superior one. The touch controls work so well, and the visual fidelity is amazing – given this is a game that always looked gorgeous, looking even better is a grand thing indeed.
So yeah, absolutely worth a re-purchase 😀
Thanks for dropping by!