14 DAY TRIAL // Vertical scrolling games have found fresh life on mobile platforms like smartphones or tablets, as they don't require players to flip their device into landscape view so that they can actually be played. While there have certainly been some intriguing releases over the years, others have failed miserably or have shoved their microtransactions so far into the player's face that they've immediately gotten a uninstall command.
Pug Rapids, coming from indie studio Bite Size Games, promises to blend the vertical scrolling puzzle mechanic with the challenging nature of Flappy Bird, the phenomenon mobile app that took the world by storm earlier this year.
Does the new mobile game manage to deliver a fun experience or should its pug protagonist stick to adventures on land? Let's have a quick look.
Pug Rapids combines different mechanics
After the huge popularity experienced by Flappy Bird, lots of mobile game developers rushed to copy the mechanics and release replacements as soon as possible, hoping to score a quick buck for those entering relapse after the game got taken off the App Store.
Fortunately, Bite Size Games didn't go that route and instead took the general tone, of challenging gameplay, not to mention the basic mechanic of navigating a maze-like environment using a cute creature.
The result is Pug Rapids, which tasks players with guiding an adorable pug in a life ring floating down a river. Unfortunately for the small pooch, the river is filled with all sorts of twists and obstacles, so players will have to constantly adjust his course by moving him to the left or right.
Hit an obstacle or move into one direction when you're already at the edge and it's game over, which means the dog gets splattered in a pretty hilarious way on your phone screen.
The whole experience is pretty fun and manages to keep players from going away by featuring procedurally generated worlds that constantly change with every restart. You can collect coins through the levels but be careful, as they often pose a big danger to your small dog.
The game boasts gorgeous visuals, but there are quite a few frame drops as you progress through its world, even on a powerful smartphone like the Samsung Galaxy S4, and this means that some deaths could have been prevented.
Free and no microtransactions
Pug Rapids is free to download and play and, refreshingly, there are no microtransactions. While that's great for many players, those used to buying extra things with the coins they collect or to continue after one death might be disappointed. You will, however, be treated to ads every few deaths but they aren't that intrusive and mostly promote other games, like Clash of Clans.
Overall, Pug Rapids is a pretty good yet quite challenging game that should cause you to waste plenty of hours trying to get the adorable pug as far as possible down the river. Bear in mind that frustration might soon kick in, so indulge in it in small doses.
