I like endless scrolling games. My phone is full of games like Hill Climb Racing and Jet Pack Joyride. They’re fun, and they don’t require any thought input. That’s what I want from an app or a browser game; almost to act as a screensaver for your brain whilst you’re in between bites of your lunch. I do not however, like tilt games. For me, the novelty of games being controlled using your devices accelerometers wore off almost immediately after they arrived. Games like Labyrinth (or Teeter if you’re Android inclined) were very well executed; they felt very much like you were actually controlling a real steel ball. Other than that, I’ve struggled to find anything that uses the technology well. In my opinion, tilt games are mostly difficult to control, uncomfortable to play, and you end up looking like a bit of a moron whilst you’re playing it. All this considered, you might understand why I was a little bit sceptical as I downloaded Seed – The Journey, the latest offering from Smiley Games into the iOS app store.

The game is not complicated; you are a dandelion seed, and you float off on the breeze for as many days and nights as you can. Your days are spent ducking and diving trying to avoid the hungry birds that try to catch you, and your nights are spent living it up above the clouds, trying to catch as many stars as possible. There isn’t all that much to it and there doesn’t need to be; you don’t want a plot when you’re playing a game like this, you want simplicity and instant gratification.  And that’s what you get.

I would hope that Peter Birch, director and programmer at Smiley Games would not be upset by the comparison, but  the game has an awfully big hint of Jet Pack Joyride about it (in fact I’m sure he wont, he himself described it as Jet Pack Joyride with tilt controls). The leveling up process, the way the speed increases as you progress, the face plant that your seed does when you crash into something; it all has a familiar feel. Don’t get me wrong this isn’t to any detriment; and it’s not like this is a rip off of an already popular game. Seed, in presentation, is a very different creature. This is a very pretty game; the way the natural world has been downloaded and transposed into it works very well. The transitions between day and night are blended in and out in the background, and as the game changes from avoiding birds to collecting stars, it’s able to stay fresh in a way that some other games ofthis type struggle to do. The soundtrack is lovely as well. It’s very relaxing and enjoyable, and is the perfect addition to compliment the relaxed feel of the game play.

So….I’ve been putting the controls off for long enough, and I really need to talk about them as they are a fundamental of the game. Smiley Games say that the tilt controls add to the feeling of immersion; that you are a seed caught in an updraft of air fresh from the set of American Beauty. I’ll be honest, I don’t know if I agree with that, however the tilt controls are very very good. It’s the first time in a long old while I’ve played a tilt game where I haven’t immediately been annoyed by the controls. This is, in no small part, to the options you have when starting your game; it asks you if you want to play Standard (just holding your device in front of you), Top Down (with it sitting on the table) or Custom which, judging by the accompanying picture, is for when you’ve fallen out of a plane and want to spend your last moments playing with your iPhone. This is a good option as, were this scenario to occur, this is how most of the iPhone owners I know would choose to spend their last moments.

There’s a bit of an interesting trend going on at the moment. Not too long ago I reviewed Chopper Mike produced by Jamie Lowes at VAMflax, who used to work for Codemasters. Peter Birch formed Smiley Games after the closure of Bizarre Creations; responsible for titles such as the Project Gotham series and Geometry Wars. These guys are returning back to their roots and concentrating on producing smaller titles that are focussed on gameplay, safe in the knowledge that their experience and talent will take care of the presentation. It’s bringing a real quality to indie and app based gaming. While I normally resent paying for apps, I don’t really mind when I know that I’m getting a quality product.

So in conclusion; I’ve enjoyed Seed – The Journey. I don’t look like a moron using the tilt controls, as they are well thought out and implemented. The gameplay is considered and enjoyable and, whilst it’s similar to a model seen elsewhere, it’s a very successful and enjoyable model. And I think my favourite part is the soundtrack. It’s relaxing, and that’s what I want when I’m playing a game like this; to relax and forget about the 2 hour meeting after lunch that I haven’t prepared for.

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