S&S Mobile Review: Hambo

Title: Hambo

Format: Mobile

Release Date: April 19 2012

Publisher: Miniclip.com

Developer: Miniclip games

Price: Currently  Free on Googe Play Store. Apple App Store. Purchase Price: $0.99

ESRB Rating:  E

Mobile games should be casual, fun time killers in my opinion. That should be the basis or at least one of the primary objectives from a developer’s viewpoint. Very few games get you coming back for more simply because of its awesome play factor but here’s what I think about Hambo… in Pig Latin. Isthay amegay oesday atthay eryvay ellway indeedway.

Story

Hambo is one tough pig and his friend Bacon has been kidnapped. Surrounded by an army of filthy swine you battle through multiple missions in attempts to save his porky butt. Fortunately you are equipped with a variety of weapons. What’s a Hambo without his knives?

Gameplay

Yes you’ve got the gun but need the brains to kill the pigs. You’ve got to think a bit but not too much and that’s what makes the game entertaining. Enemies are placed in strategic positions (stagnant and not very harmful) above, between and behind (very harmful) obstacles made for you to think about where and when you’ll shoot. You start off only with a gun but keep playing and you will have the freedom to make tender ribs out of your enemies in a variety of ways.

In battle you will need to be precise in your timing, deflections and aiming to kill the enemy runts. I have killed myself with my stray bullets more times than i thought possible. Stay on your toes and use your ammo sparingly. The real world 2d physics give the game a natural feel as you side down or fall from a higher plane to get a clearer shot at some enemies. The combination of weapons and ammo given at each level will be just enough to clear the level. For instance A C4 bomb removes barriers before using a crossbow to move an ice block to knock a pig into view. Only then do you knife a pig in plain sight. I was amazed by the number ricochets I had to count on just reach enemy territory. 

The level and mission sets will remind you of Angry Birds as well as similarities in using logic, skill, and sometimes brute force to make gammon.  Also for weapons like the crossbow and knife throws the gauge and aiming physics can be compared. You have full control over  the power and angle of shots from such weapons, meaning more ways to kill. 

Presentation

The game screens's colours are lively and fonts are bold with objects in their natural elements; the explosives trigger ripple effects, ice causes objects to slide any which way and the clouds in the sky float as nonchalantly as an enemy’s eyes blinking in anticipation. There are a many subtle animations which give the screen life. The game’s music is racy and complements the action ambience. You will be pleased to know there is no lag at all and I only experienced a couple of freezes, probably due to running too many apps in the background.

Final Thought

With over 200 levels and Minilclips promising even more missions on the way, several costumes and add-ons featured in the paid version, there is little doubt Bacon will ever be saved but proof that there are mobile games out there that get the job done and achieve high replay value. An Interesting feature included is the ability to skip the level and view solutions on how to clear the stage if you find it too hard, although you should realise that there is more than one way to slay a pig and use these options sparingly. Definitely one for the bus or train on the way home.

Final Rating: 9/10


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