Catapult Madness for iPhone/Touch Review

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A strange thing often happens with IOS games.  Sometimes a simple, seemingly boring game can become completely addicting bringing joy, frustration and waste lots of time.  I recently found Catapult Madness at the top of the games list and it was on sale for free so I thought I would give it a try.  I was mildly amused at first, but kept wanting to extend the distance I threw the peasants so I kept playing.  That mild amusement turned into straight addiction as I kept upgrading and getting further and further.  The addition of GameCenter compatibility has created more of a monster since I am now competing with some of my football players who are also addicted.

The premise of Catapult Madness is simple.  Your castle is under siege; take one of the peasants (or king once the game is beat) and fling them with a catapult to reach the neighboring castle to ask for help.  The game will measure both height and distance, but reaching 50,000 feet is basically the goal.  Each throw will earn money both from distance and with items the character hits on the trip.

To arm the catapult, choose a character.  You will begin with one peasant and gain up to three more as your distances get further.  Once you reach the 50,000 foot mark, the king is available and seems to fly further and bounce higher than the other characters.  Once the catapult is loaded the power meter appears.  The arrow moves back and forth with the fire button setting the power level.  Of course, it is best to have max power.  Once the power is set, the height meter appears.  Max power and max height will bring the best results.

Once the character is launched, they will fly high and far.  Throughout the trip they will collide with various items that will bounce them higher in the air bringing improved distances.  Some of these items will also bring bonus money at the end of each turn, so hitting them is positive.  Once they bounce on the ground, there are other items that can be hit that will both bring extra cash and bounce the character for added distance.  As you improve on the game, each turn will take some time.  I actually set my phone down to do something else once I use up all of the power ups.

The key to gaining both height and distance is upgrades.  There are six total upgrades available each with several levels that can be purchased.  Magic and beans will shoot the character upward faster.  I have learned if you use beans first and immediately tap magic, the two work together for more acceleration.  The bombs will accelerate the character in the current direction.  These are upgradeable and up to five can be purchased.  The beer makes the characters bounce higher both when hitting items in the air or space or bouncing off of the ground.  This upgrade is important in continuing the turn and gaining extra distance.  The gear is an upgrade for the catapult itself making it more powerful for the initial toss.  The final upgrade is the wings.  When used, the character will glide gracefully for a while and seems to be accelerated once they fall to the ground.  I have found using the wings around 200 feet is best to keep the distance coming and avoid hitting flying objects, which makes the wings disappear.  I am no pro, but my best throws have come from using beans + magic then all five bombs at the top.  I save my wings for the end to get a few more feet.  My best distance is 211,396ft and height is 14,228.  Add me on gamecenter if you want to compare:  AxeMan.

Catapult Madness is simple yet addicting and I have enjoyed trying to top my gamecenter friends’ distances.  Somehow, the overall leader board on gamecenter is full of people with ridiculous scores.  Their heights and distances are in the hundreds of millions.  I am not sure if there is a hack or some way to cheat, but it does ruin the overall scoreboards in my opinion.  As of the writing of this review, Catapult Madness is on sale for FREE!  Go get it here in the app store and play a few times and I promise you will be addicted.

What I like: Fun addictive game play.  Playing friends on gamecenter is a must for this game.

What could be improved: The game is too short!  Once the upgrades are bought and the four characters are opened there is nothing to earn other than beating your friends.  I am hoping an update will expand the game.

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About the Author

Travis Ehrlich
Travis is a high school teacher and coach in a small South Texas town. His love for gadgets began at a very early age, and he has been a cross between a jock and a geek for most of his life. He has two boys and a wonderful wife who lets him be a gadget freak. He is a Mac convert and has drank the whole pitcher of Kool-Aid! He is also an avid guitar player and loves the outdoors, especially hunting with both a bow and rifle.

1 Comment on "Catapult Madness for iPhone/Touch Review"

  1. RT @geardiarysite: Blue Plate Special: Catapult Madness For iPhone/Touch http://bit.ly/94kdYc

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