Author
Cody Sharp
Price: $.99
Publisher: Big Blue Bubble
Burn the Rope is a interesting game that brings the unique properties of fire to your iPhone. Fire, as an element, has been underutilized on the device. Its ability to spread is put to good effect here. To get started you touch a place on a rope and it begins burning. The trick is to burn the entire rope by physically moving your iPhone around as the fires burns upwards. While it is a unique concept, I didn’t personally have a ton of fun with this one. That being said, I can see how a more casual gamer would really enjoy themselves.
Burn the Rope offers many different rope shapes. Each of these shapes requires a different strategy. As you turn your device you can burn the rope in several places at once. That’s the real trick and difficulty in more complex shapes. Burn part of a rope quicker than another and you may not be able to complete the burning of the entire rope. Editor’s note: Reading this after writing it makes me realize that this is really where a picture may be worth a thousand words.
Each level has 3 coins that you can collect (bronze, silver and gold) that allow you to unlock further rope shapes. As you move forward the shapes gradually become more difficult. The controls are entirely unique to this game and for that I applaud the developer. So many times the iPhone’s unique control abilities are an afterthought of a developer. That being said, I tired quickly of constantly rotating my device around the rope shapes. Your mileage may vastly vary.
All in all, Burn the Rope feels like a good value for $.99. It offers a lot of gameplay, uses the iPhone’s control scheme in a unique way and offers a distinctive gameplay device (fire physics) that few games offer. That all being said, I still found myself wanting to play a different game while playing this one, so I don’t think it is for everyone. The hardcore gamers out there looking for action aren’t going to find it here. Casual gamers are likely to find this one quite enjoyable. Just watch out for possible signs of Carpal Tunnel from turning your iPhone so much.
Overall Value for it’s $.99 price point
Overall: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars Graphics: 3.0 out of 5.0 stars Sound: 3.0 out of 5.0 stars Controls: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars