iPhone review of the day: Get Outta My Galaxy! The Art of the Slapfight

On iPhone
Game: Get Outta My Galaxy!
Price: $0.99 US, £0.59 UK
Size: 36.6 MB
Get it now on iTunes:US/ UK

What’s a grumpy little alien guy trying to catch a nap on his own planet supposed to do when hopping little Pikmin types decide they want to come over for an interstellar visit? Slap the crap out of them, that’s what!

Tilting your iPhone to run around the planets, which are big traversable spheres a la Super Mario Galaxy, is one half of the game mechanic. The other half is tapping your screen to deliver a jaw-shattering slobberknocker to the creatures in your vicinity, exterminating them from your galaxy one planet at a time.

Things get more complicated as you encounter different creatures with different abilities, like spawning new buddies or growing vegetation that can slow your four-armed monster down. The planets themselves get plenty more complicated too, with walls and gates and all sorts of ouchy grasses to get in the way of your adorable genocide.

If you don’t like tilting to play, a new update has added joystick controls so you can make use of a virtual d-pad instead of your sensitive wrists. You can adjust the sensitivities of both methods of play, which is much appreciated here as it is often sadly lacking from other iPhone games.

Get Outta My Galaxy! is definitely worth the low cost of admission, and the distinctly Japanese visuals draw you in for a good chunk of time (nevermind that the game is actually made in Finland; it’s in Japanese camouflage, just like Nokia). I would like to see a bit of variation in the planet design, though (it’s dark, dark and more dark), and perhaps for the difficulty to ramp up a bit sooner. You’ll most likely feel a bit bored after the first few levels. You might feel like abandoning GOMG!, but hang on for a bit until the levels get harder. You’ll get your money’s worth in masculine slap-fighting.

May 19, 2011