Developer: Pinch Games Price: $0.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0.2
Device Reviewed On: iPhone 3GS
Silly Owls is a physics based puzzle game where the basic goal is to get the owls into their birdhouses by bouncing and rolling them through levels with various obstacles. The game is split up into three parts and a different owl is the main character in each part. Each owl has different abilities each section of the game is a different kind of physics game. While these three different physics games each offer very standard gameplay, the inclusion of three different game types does bring some much needed variety to the game.
The first owl rolls along on it’s own and the player must drop apples to push it in the right directions. The second owl can be slung in any direction by pulling it back and letting it fly. The third owl is distinctly different from the first two and the gameplay is accordingly different. Here players must guide the owl, which is riding a banana skateboard, through an obstacle course of many hazards by jumping and ducking at the right moments. All three game types are very simple and don’t offer much in the way of innovative gameplay. Unfortunately, especially in the second and third owl levels, the level designs feel sloppy and it can be difficult to work around the environment. Granted, there is a puzzle element to the game and players are supposed to puzzle over how to get the owls to their roosts, but there sometimes there are just some fundamental problems with how the levels are designed that prevent the player from efficiently using the games physics to complete a challenge.
The owls and the environments look great. The game’s visuals are crisp and bright and make the game so much more enjoyable. The physics work well as long as the level design doesn’t get in the way, and the various game mechanics are fairly simple to manipulate via the touch screen. Silly Owls isn’t a bad game, it just isn’t a great game either. It provides a competent physics game experience that looks great, but not much more.