Type of app: Puzzle Adventure game
Platform/where to buy: iPad (iPhone version here); available in the App Store
Developer: 1C Wireless / G5 Entertainment
Description:
A provincial Russian town has been shaken in disbelief: their prized, rare, striped elephant, Baldakhin, disappeared from the zoo in the dead of night. The main suspect is its notorious former owner, Karbofoss. Two well-known detectives, the Pilot Brothers, set up a new investigation, pursuing the rogue through 15 comic-style locations to find the missing elephant. Sensible Brother Chief and his not-so-bright assistant, Brother Colleague, solve tricky puzzles and play their parts with precise timing in this humorous adventure game for the whole family!
? 15 Increasingly difficult levels to solve
? 2 Different characters: Brother Chief and Brother Colleague
? Fast-paced, arcade mini-games and loads of absurdly witty mini-games!
? Join the famed duo in their search for the elusive thief!
? Game Center Support
? New iPad Retina Display Support
Major features: Have you ever heard of the Pilot Brothers? Neither had I … but they have quite a following in Russia. As a result they need to win us over without any background. The pair of brothers fall into the stereotypical combo that goes all the way back to even before Abbot and Costello – you have the smart and sensible ‘Chief’, and the bungling yet effective ‘Colleague’. And you have a mystery to catch a thief.
The gameplay mechanics are fairly typical for the genre – point and click to complete actions. But here you have two characters, and need to swap which one is in control to get things done. Some things are obvious as you proceed, such as elements based on strength or dexterity, but other combinations require you to solve something with Chief, then DO something with Colleague and so on. Having arcade-style mini-games interspersed with the adventure was a great change of pace from most genre games.
The visual style is … quirky. It is very much a cartoon game, with a rather simplistic artistic style. The game uses the Retina display in terms of resolution and to make things distinct and visible – but I would never call the graphics ‘gorgeous’ … that is simply no the intent of the developers. But the game, the brothers and pretty much everything exudes a quirky charm that had me thoroughly enjoying the game by the end and hoping for more entries.
Ease of use/Overall performance: If you are looking for a challenge, this is definitely a game to explore! The mechanics all make sense and are easy to figure out – but from the very first screen I had to take my time to figure things out. Once I learned what each brother could do it went more smoothly, but each area got progressively more challenging and involved – in a good way. The developers include a walkthrough guide as well as a generous hint system if you get stuck.
Would use again/recommend?: Yes! It took me a bit to get hooked into the game as I wanted to understand who these Pilot Brothers were, and about the graphic styling. But once I got involved, I appreciated the difficulty level, the need to utilize both brothers in every scene, and the action-based mini-games mixed with more traditional puzzles.
Suggested changes/wish list for updates: Nothing.
Price: $6.99 ($4.99 for iPhone – but on 10/25 ONLY they are $4.99/$2.99 for iPad/iPhone) – note that these are free to try with in-app purchase for full-game unlock.
Here is the trailer: