Pyrocity!

Gameplay

Pyrocity! When I downloaded this app it was free for a limited time only. On opening the app I was immediately struck by the beautiful particle effect fireworks emitted all over the black screen which served as a virtual night sky. The main screen is refreshingly simple with the ability to go on the Game Center to record your personal or public high scores or to challenge a friend.

What attracted me to looking at this app was a picture of the developer on a social network of him planning each level. The attention he was paying to creating each level in detail with virtual card objects upon virtual card iPhone screens was amazing to see. I’ve planned a physics game before and 60 levels took me 6 months to make, so I know the hard work that must have gone into this game

On the first level you have to tap on the flying pink pigs which then fly upwards and off the screen. Right away I liked the quirkiness of the game. Flying pink pigs and fireworks? It’s offbeat – I like it. After this fireworks shoot up onto the screen and you have to try and tap on the firework when it’s green, to earn points and stay alive.

Your lives appear in the upper left hand corner of the screen as skull and crossbones. You can pause the game at any time and resume it. In the upper right hand corner your firework taps are recorded and colour-coded. At the base of the screen is ‘the line of death’ so you must tap on the firework at the correct point, otherwise hitting the line of death with take one of your lives away. The intensity level of the game is in the bottom left of the screen and you start off at intensity level 1.

Playing the game is strangely mesmerising as you poise yourself for any green fireworks to hit. The fireworks have been programmed well using emitters to create all kinds off effects. What I was really impressed with is the score screen afterwards. It walks you through learning the game, in that intensity points increase with pressing on a large amount of green fireworks and lets you know that scores are multiplied by the intensity level too. And then there are the pink pigs floating before you and even particle effects behind the score you’ve achieved. The animation of moving objects around on the screen when you complete a level is impressive. Remember that this app was not programmed by a big company with a large team, the developer would have had to do a lot of work to create these effects.

On level two the pink pigs that previously were just chilling out between levels, just floating around, start to actually take part in the game. You have to stop the fireworks hitting the pink pigs. Then on the next level I witnessed the pigs disappearing and yellow chicks making an appearance. My intensity level was now increasing. You are notified of new records you’ve achieved, such as a correct amount of unbroken taps. I was glad to see on later levels that the pink pigs returned and joined together with the yellow chicks as I kind of like them. More characters pop up as you progress to higher levels, such as monkeys who grab the fireworks and you have to shake them off.

When you allow a firework to hit one of the flying obstacles the game slows down and everything runs in slow motion which is a neat effect.

Mission Accomplished

This is a fun indie game which is easy to pick up and learn how to play. I had fun playing the game and even gave this app a solid 4 stars on iTunes as I think it’s good. Sometimes it’s nice to play a simple fun game rather than have to go through a long learning curve.

Room to improve

Maybe a story on the iTunes description or a short animation within the app to give the game a fun story behind it. For example:

Pyrocity has always prided itself in the beautiful fireworks it produces, but in the jealous villages that surround the city they have set fire to the fireworks factories. The flying animals of Pyrocity are the only ones to escape, but can you save them from the firework blitz?

Conclusion

Fun, quirky and offbeat. A nice simple game that will bring a smile to your face. Be warned however that it is also very challenging!