Game Review # 2: M.A.G. (Miko Action Game) I & II

In today's mobile app markets, the dominating games are usually made to be eye candies and simple to play. This is admittedly the simplest formula to a successful game (being free is also a plus). Most of these developers are Americans or European-based companies and they know their audiences are easily swayed with good visuals.

For my reviews, I'd like to focus on the relatively unknown apps and games made by developers from Japan and other Asian countries. I'd like to start with a game that I've recently started playing: MAG or Miko Action Game I & 2 by West Hill. The first is free and has only one character while the second is paid, has four characters and a bonus.

MAG is basically a running and jumping game. Your character, which you can choose from four whose names are based on the general color of their outfit and hair (my favorite is Red), is continuously running forward while you try to jump (with the left-side screen tap) to avoid (or stomp at) enemies and escape pitfalls. The right-side screen tap is the command to fire (or attack) your obstacles which are usually blobs and birds.

There are three difficulties: easy, medium and hard but generally your goal is to run as far as possible and kill as many as possible. Easy caps the distance at 300mm, medium at 500m and hard has nobe. Your score will depend on how far you've gotten before dying (by falling or depleting your HP) and how many enemies you've killed. When you reach the cap, you get a nice surprise.

Simple right? Wrong! The game play is easy to learn but the game is pretty difficult to perfect. The enemies (especially in Hard difficulty) are well placed that when you jump with a wrong timing, you will most likely hit them or fall off.

The easy to learn gameplay is what I really like about purchasing this game. There are no missions, no quests, no stories. Just a girl with powers running to who knows where firing at blobs and birds and flying gargoyles. Even if you stop playing for a while, you won't get confused when you get back at it and you'll still enjoy it!

The game is also very responsive and you can't give the "the freaking controls are clumsy" excuse when you die. It's all boils down to your skill and judgement.

The one drawback of this game, probably for others, is that the game is not as much an eye-candy as those made by their American/European competition. The drawing itself was good but the sprites are pixelated, the drawings are flat (no shading) and it looks like it was made for PS1.

Overall though, this game is an excellent game to pass the time.

Android Market