Jumpy Junior - 3.5 stars

What is it?

Jumpy Jumper is an endless play platform game. The aim of the game is to jump between platforms without hitting walls or falling between gaps. I would describe this game as Flappy Bird meets Ninja Jump. To play the game you simply tap the screen to make the running man character jump, and the more you tap the more mid air jumps you make. This element reminds me of Flappy Bird but instead of keeping the character off the platforms, you actually only score points for landing on them. As you increase the distance travel the game increases in speed, I like this feature and I found it easier than at the slower start.  After several plays though I quickly realised that you can take advantage of the sluggish start by jumping on the longer platforms twice to build up the score quicker. 

On trend the developer has used the pixel design with minimal colours or alterations between game play. Unlike Ninja Jump the characters legs don't move, so it appearance reminds me a little of the static picture of Mario from the retro games.

The game is on the GameCentre which is a big plus for me. After seeing the highest score on the GameCentre today I knew with a bit of dedicated play I could get to the top of the Leader Board, which I did, in less than 10 minutes. There  does however seem to be a design fault with the GameCentre settings applied to the game and only one of the two Leader Boards actually works, which is a shame, but I am holding onto my victory with both hands!

This is a basic game, and similar to many others on the store at the moment, but it does what it says on the tin. If you like Flappy Bird but want to earn points for those unfortunate contact with the platform then Jumpy Junior could be for you.

Now for some ratings.....

Ease of use - 5

The game gives the basic instruction of 'Tap to Jump' at the start of each game, but that is all that is needed really. If you are part of the Flappy Generation, yes I may have just made up a new label here but hey ho, then you will take to this game like a duck to water. The only difference as I mentioned above is that you get the points for landing on the platforms, so if you jump completely over one then you have missed valuable points. 
Price - 5

This is a free game with no in app purchases.

Adverts - 5

There are footer adverts on the app, but to be fair I hardly noticed them and they didn't interrupt my game play at all. 

Keep, jury is out or delete - Jury is out

I have had the app less than a day so I am not sure how long I will keep it just yet. It is a pleasant game that was easy to just pick up and play, but it is very similar to other games out there at the moment. With that said I personally preferred it to Ketchapps Triple Jump which I still haven't managed to master. The app has could be enhanced by earning points to unlock new characters or even options to change the background that I have seen appearing here and there across the App Store in the past few weeks. 

Overall Score - 3.5 
I have selected this score by comparing it to the other apps I have been playing in the past few weeks. This is not a negative rating by any stretch of the imagination, but the concept has flooded the store and it is just missing the special difference that would make it higher. With more user options this game would keep the user engaged for longer, but download it and see what you think (link is below).

Where to find it:

Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/jumpy-junior/id950560531?mt=8

Crossy Road - Endless Arcade Hopper - 5 Stars

What is it?

Why did the chicken cross the road? Who cares - just keep crossing them in this insanely addictive game! The aim is to get the Chicken as far as you can by tapping and swiping the screen. Along the way, you encounter many automotive and environmental obstacles, which come from different directions just to make matters worse. You get points for every step forward, while the chicken negotiates roads, railway lines, desert and rivers.

You die on this game if you are hit by a vehicle, eaten by an animal or if the moving screen catches up with the Chicken!  The death sequences are hilarious, particularly when the Chicken gets flattened against the side of the vehicles. If you die and you have beaten your high score, you are presented with a snap of your Chicken's last moments, which you can download to your camera roll. It's a funny touch!

Throughout the game there are credit coins to be collected that allow you use the pixel fruit machine and win new birds to play with, which is a nice touch and good fun.

I can't explain why, but I love this game! Maybe it's the fact this lives up to my expectations of the classic 'Frogger', whereas Frog Up, as you'll see in my review, didn't! Think of this game as Frogger but with a chicken, and a colourfully pixelated 3D design.

The game is well designed and the pixelated graphics are not only well executed but also very current in the app games. The sound effects give a realistic atmosphere to the setting, with cars and trains beeping when you have a narrow escape.  

If you like Frogger, pixel games and are not scared of birds then give this a go!

Now for some ratings.....

Ease of use - 4

Mainly this game is easy to use, especially if your chicken can move in a straight line, as having to change direction can be a real challenge... particularly when you are stuck between two trees or have a truck heading towards you. The game does give a mini tutorial when you first start to play which is helpful but it is not that complicated.


Price - 5

This game is free and is doing really well in the App Store.

Adverts - 5
It might be because I am going hopping mad but I don't recall adverts in this game!

Overall Rating - 5

I loved this. It is fun, addictive, gorgeously designed and is perfect for my competitive disposition. If you like arcade games then this is definitely worth a download! I have to finish this review quickly so I can get back to playing... I was eaten by a crocodile on my last attempt!

Keep, jury is out or delete - Keep

Where to find it:

Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/crossy-road-endless-arcade/id924373886?mt=8

Twitter: @CrossyRoad

Frog Up - 3 stars

What is it?

When I downloaded this game I expected it to be a version of the classic game Frogger, but I was wrong! The aim of the game is to hop the frog up the screen by landing on moving platforms. This reminded me of Super Mario, another classic I love to play. You tap to make the frog move, but as soon as you start the screen starts to move up adding another element to  the potential death of the little amphibian! This is another pixelated tap game using the retro look that is so popular on the App Store at the moment. This game is simplistic in its design and play.

I quite liked this game as it was simple but unfortunately it missed some key app elements out to fuel my competitive edge. The game is not on Game Centre which is such a shame, and I believe free for developers to add their apps. Without the Game Centre I had no idea how well, or probably more accurately, how badly I was doing.

I have had the game on my phone for a about a month and occasionally have a quick series of play to see if my feeble efforts have any improvement.

If you like pixel tap games and are fond of frogs then this could be up your street!

Now for some ratings.....

Ease of use - 5

This game is simple to play and the singular instruction of tap to being is all you need, simples!

Price - 5

The game is free with no in app purchases.

Adverts - 4

The game does have footer ads but they aren't invasive and don't interrupt game play. It was refreshing to play a game that didn't have full screen and video ads.

Overall Rating - 3

Overall this game is simple to play and understand. It's not got the frustration of flappy bird but I was expecting Frogger so was a little disappointed. It's not the game of the year but I haven't deleted it so that is a good sign. I look forward to updates especially if they introduce the GameCentre feature :)

Keep, jury is out or delete - Keep

Where to find it:

Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/de/app/frogup/id933654509?l=en&mt=8

Ninja Runner - 4 Stars

What is it?

Ninja Runner is a game with the aim to get your Ninja to travel as far as possible across roof tops without falling off. Your score is measured in the form of how many metres you cover during the run. 

The game is very simple to operate you simply tap the screen when you want your Ninja to jump. The further you get with the Ninja travel, the quicker the game gets. The roof tops vary in size and the smaller ones together can be tricky to get across.

Throughout the game Double Jump tokens are dropped (in the form of Ninja stars) from the top of the screen. When you collect one you can use it as much as you like until its time runs out then you need to retrieve another for the ability.  The Double Jumps are really needed for the smaller roof tops all positioned together when you get past about 500 meters as the screen gets faster and faster. 

This game was a hit at home as we had mini competitions. The game doesn't take long unless you are pro. When I first started to play the game it took my eyes a while to adjust as the background and the speed of the Ninja made me go a bit cross eyed, but the more you play the less you notice it. 

The game is a little bland in colours and the back ground never changes. It may benefit from some brighter colours  just to make it look a but more interesting, but it wouldn't stop me playing. 

I was shocked that there are no sounds on the game, which is good for me as I always turn this off but I imagine this may put some players off. 

The game is on the Game Centre, which I like, and I have managed to get to 5th place with 950 meters, but I am behind my partner who is 2nd with 1120 meters! 

In summary, I like this game and, like Fist of Fury, I keep finding myself having quick plays to try and improve my score!

Now for some ratings.....

Ease of use - 4

This game has one control, tap to jump, and instructions are provided. This is a really easy game to play once you stop feeling dizzy from the screen movements.

Price - 5

This is a free game with no in app purchases. 

Adverts - 4
The only adverts in the game are in the banner at the bottom of the screen, and they really do not interrupt game play at all, so pretty good.

Overall Rating - 4

I like this game, its easy to learn and simple to play. The game would benefit from a few more injections of colour and maybe some sound, but it wouldn't stop me playing it!

Keep, jury is out or delete - Keep

Keep, I like this game for an easy but addictive break from work!

Where to find it:

Apple: https://appsto.re/gb/1P0l3.i

Out Of Circle - 3.5 Stars

What is it?

Out of Circle is a tap style game with the aim to escape a rotating circles. I was contacted on Twitter to review this game so was pretty excited to get started. I think this is a love or hate  app game as it can be very frustrating. 

The game is a white circle  outline with a gap rotating around a dot, you tap the screen to release the dot but if you hit the edge you die. Once out of the first circle you move to another and so on an so forth. The style, speed and direction of the circle change between moves and the longer you stay alive the more complex it appears. 

One frustration that I did have is that you can't tap anywhere on the screen as you are restricted to a circle at the bottom of the screen. This was particularly annoying when you were into the game, missed and lost the flow. 

There are three modes to the game: Arcade, Time Trail and Chirstmas (which I assume means Christmas with an unfortunate typo!). As it is Christmas I mainly played the Chirstmas version. The screen has a few colours that it changes to between plays, with stockings hanging from the header and festive snowfall. 

The normal version is the same as the Chirstmas game but is a  full colour screen, which I feel is a little plain and would benefit from having anything on there to liven it up a bit. 

If you have played DashUp then this is very similar to it. The colours and set up are the same but the format of the game play is different through the use of circles and not sliding white bars. 

Thus far my highest score is a mere 11 but my partner has scored 13 and is forth overall in the world with the highest being a mere 16. This is a bit of an indication to how difficult the game is to master and that there are some frustrating adverts, that I must admit has made me kill the game a few times. 

Now for some ratings.....

Ease of use - 4 

This is a pretty simple game to get a grasp off but it is difficult. If you have poor reaction speeds you will quickly get angry with it but it is interesting for in home challenges. The main frustration is that you can't tap anywhere on the screen to play and if you miss the tap circle you lose your flow. 


Price - 5

This is a free game with no in app purchases. 

Adverts - 2
This game is riddled with adverts. There is a constant banner at the bottom of the screen, but it doesn't interrupt game play. After three plays there are full screen ads, these start off as manageable but after about 8 plays they turn into 5 second screen invaders. After 4 of these in a row the game got switched off. As this game is difficult you don't want to break your concentration but the ads do it for you!

Overall Rating - 1

I have struggled with rating this app but I am going for 3.5 stars. The adverts are annoying and the game is a little difficult to play. The inability to tap anywhere on the nearly blank screen is also frustrating. With that said it has remained on my phone and from starting the review to now i have upped my score...but will I get the highest in the world. 

Keep, jury is out or delete - Keep

I will be keeping this for a little while longer as I enjoy the competition, but if the adverts get any more annoying it will have to go :(

Where to find it:

Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/out-of-circle/id943841480?ls=1&mt=8

The Gopher Chase - 4.5 Stars

What is it?

The Gopher is a fast paced flappy bird-esque game where you get points for moving a Gopher through a never ending course. As you go forward, left or right, you get a point each move, whilst avoiding rocks and running out of time, as you attempt to go the furthest distance. This is a brightly coloured game which is easy to learn but difficult to master. 

When you first open up the game you are greeted by a lovely bright menu with a cute Gopher dancing in the middle of the screen and flappy bird-style fonts. From this screen you can 'Rate' the app, tap 'Top' to see the leaderboard or press 'Play' where you choose from a range of game modes.

From the 'Play' button you are taken to an option screen where you can choose from eight options, some that are time-driven and others that are points-driven. I started on Classic mode as that seemed the Normal, or Standard, mode! 

The game screen is split into two parts. The bottom of the screen is taken up with a left, right and up arrow with the main body being the game. The game is green in background with a scattering of rocks. The aim of the aim is to go as far as you can without hitting a rock. I kept dying without hitting a rock so was getting a little annoyed...then I noticed the timer bar at the very top of the game.  Basically you have to keep going as quickly as possible and it keeps your timer charged up, if you delay for even a second the timer runs out.

One thing that did bug me about the games is that once you have selected a mode you can't get back to the main menu to change to another. To overcome this I had to force close and re-enter the app.  This was a little annoying but I am sure not too complex to fix. I will say that after a few plays of this, I found that if you hit the pause button, you can return to the main menu, but i would have thought this would be available from the 'Game Over' screen.

As I (I should say we as my partner loves this game!) was reviewing the app I wanted to look at all the game modes, and although it was frustrating to force close the app, it was worth it. So here they are:

10 seconds / 30 seconds mode - these are speed modes where you have to gain as many points as possible within the selected time.

Marathon mode - score as many points as you can within 100 seconds. If you die before the 100 seconds is up then it is 'Game Over' but its a great opportunity to test your tapping speed and agility to move around the screen. 

Impossible mode - as you tap the buttons to negotiate the course, they randomly change directions, i.e. the up button becomes the left button, so you have to take it slower to get a lot of points here. It's a good twist to the game as you have to pay attention and be very quick...I am rubbish at this mode!

Stop and Go - is a mode that's a little like musical statues! Basically you play as normal but the screen will flash up STOP and you've got to resist hitting any buttons or you die. When the screen flashes GO you can resume play. Obviously if you hit a rock you still die (which I did often!). 

Relay mode - is split into two stages 'Easy' and 'Hard'. In the Easy version you are given 8 seconds to get a score of at least 40. If you do, then you are given another 8 seconds, and so on until you do not hit 40 within the 8 seconds. In the Hard version you need to get 50 to get another 8 seconds, and this really is difficult to do unless you have an insane tapping action. You can still die in either mode if you hit a rock.

I did notice that the GameCenter only records the Classic and Impossible mode score and a collective total, which is a shame as we have had great fun trying to beat each other on the various modes. 

I enjoyed this game, its strongly addictive but highly frustrating!

Now for some ratings.....

Ease of use - 3.5 

This game is simple to use, once you figure it out. The game would really benefit from providing some instructions or a tutorial for the first time user. There are no descriptions for any of the modes within the game itself, but I did find them on the App Store, which I rarely read. 


Price - 5

This is a free app and I didn't notice any in app purchases. 

Adverts - 3
There are ads in this game. They tend to appear every third game play but are easily closed.  The please rate me window also appears as frequently and doesn't have the option to stop asking. 

Overall Rating - 4

There are a couple of things that have stopped me nudging this to a five, but I do really like this game! The inability to change the mode of play from the game over menu is frustrating and it did take us two days to find the option from the pause menu. The other frustration is the lack of in app instructions or tutorials.  Please don't let these minor items stop you from downloading this app as it is highly addictive and well made. This is a definite hit in my household!

Keep, jury is out or delete - Keep

No doubt about it this is a keeper! We have had great fun with the Gopher and even if you are watching people play it is very amusing, due to the frustrating screams when the timer catches you. 249 is the highest we have achieved in Classic mode, and 515 in Marathon mode... dare you to beat it!

Where to find it:

Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/the-gopher/id947291741?mt=8

Dash Up - 5 Stars

What is it?

I wasn't sure what this was but I stumbled upon it when I searched for 'Christmas Apps' on the App Store and scrolled like a lunatic to find the less popular or featured not offering.  Dash Up  can be compared to the popular follow up to Flappy Birds, Swing Copters. The aim of the game is to tap the screen, navigating a bauble to the top whilst avoiding obstacles. If you hit an obstacle you break the bauble with a shattering smash.

I have been thinking of the best way to describe what the obstacles are and I might be having a slow day but basically they are white blocks that close together like elevator doors. If you hit them whilst closed or get the bauble suck between them then game over. 

I haven't fully mastered this game yet, with my pitiful score of six (which was smashed by someone getting 25 as I typed this review), but I like this one. I found Swing Copters infuriating and I couldn't get past one, much to the delight of who I was playing against! Dash Up on the other hand isn't so brutal and is much easier to play, but do not be fooled into thinking it isn't frustrating! 

What I liked about this Christmas app is that it is festive. When you start there is a little festive jingle that plays that soon builds up into Jingle bells. The app uses bold festive full screen colours with crisp white snow falling and Christmas Trees. The bauble is red and decorated and I really liked the whole package, though I appreciate this may not be to everyones liking. Another nice touch to the game is that when you get past the white obstacles you hear a festive jingly ping.

I will be honest I am not a fan of the flappy phenomena that took the world by storm this year but I am liking this. I think the crisp, although basic graphics, and the absence of the abnormal bird with huge lips instead of a beak has done it. I am not adverse to pixilated games but it is nice to have a game that has a similar format and is modern.

From the main menu there is a 'Mode' option. There are four modes, each of different colour and the one I have been playing is 'Christmas'. I like that the app can still be played after the festive time without the Christmas features.  In the other mode you play with a white ball, and because I am in a festive mode i am going to refer to it as a snowball, but of course the music changes!

The game is on the GameCentre so you can complete ;) You can also remove Ads, if you pay but to be honest there are only banner ads at the bottom which I hardly noticed. 

I think there will be a contest in my home this week with this app which I will without doubt lose at but I will try!  

Now for some ratings.....

Ease of use - 5

Can you tap? If yes then you can play. 


Price - 5

This is free, you can upgrade to get rid of the ads, but I wouldn't bother as they are not intrusive.

Adverts - 4
There are ads, but only banner ads at the bottom and they do not interfere with game play, after a while I forgot that they were there. You can upgrade the app to remove the ads, but unless they do an update to add more I wouldn't bother. 

Overall Rating - 5

It could be my festive mood or the watching of frustration on peoples faces playing this app but I really like it!! It is not often that I like this type of game, so I am very impressed!

Keep, jury is out or delete - Keep

Keep, no doubt about it!

Where to find it:

Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/dash-up!/id910959738?mt=8