Flatdog is an arcade game available on mobile for $.99, where you are a dog that was recently kidnapped by hackers. The story goes like this: Your grandma gets a suspicious email saying that she has been hacked, and to take a photo of her most prized possession to verify that she is who she is. This is a well executed comedic take on the time-honored "elderly people aren't good with technology" joke with a fresh take to create an interesting intro to the game.
The gameplay consists of two main things, moving around via a touch joystick on the left side of the screen, and shooting blocks and enemies with a touch joystick on the right side of the screen. The object of the game is to destroy massive amounts of blocks revealing coins and enemies to reveal a portal that will carry you to the next level. The gameplay is simple and doesn't to take too much time to understand, but the finer details are where it gets complex. The enemy powers take a while to memorize and fields that change the gravity seem to happen at random. It will definitely take you a life or two before you figure out the mechanics. The movement especially takes a while to get used to, with floaty controls that feel jarring at first. The gameplay itself can be fun but needs some getting used to.
The coins I mentioned earlier are used to purchase powerups that are useable in every match. I felt the powerups to be well balanced and well executed in the game itself. For example, after about 5 quick matches (totaling about 20 minutes) I was able to buy my first major powerup, sniff; sniff is used to locate all of the objects in an area and help me progress to further levels without feeling as if I just purchased some skill. The coins are given to you at a good pace and I quite enjoy the speed of content.
The art is pleasing, with some simple pixel graphics mixed in with a variety of bright colors to give you an attitude of speed. This is combined well with quality bit music, and sound design. There is nothing too innovative, but it is quality none the less.
Overall, the game has quality gameplay, okay but floaty controls, and quality art and sound design. Perfect for a small trip or a wait at the doctor, Flatdog is definitely worth a buy and earns itself a 7.6 out of 10 with a label of "fun".
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