Platform: iOS Cost: Free
This week, my Game of the Week is a bit different, as it involves the idea that playing a game can help be a positive change in our world. Nobody has tried to make more ground on this front than Jane McGonigal. In this app, I feel like she would be proud! Here is a game that you can play that actually helps Cancer Researchers develop a cure for Cancer. It’s the dream folks, a game that can change the world.
The gameplay is interesting… but… lets be honest: this is the Game of the Week because it makes a difference, not because it is the best game to play.
I did enjoy the game play, but it can become repetitive quite quickly for my taste of games on the iPad. None-the less, enjoy the review and enjoy the game.
The Game
When you first login to the game, you are told of mystical Element Alpha, which has become the centerpiece of modern society. Bifrost Industries is the leading company for harvesting Element Alpha.
Even with some relatively low resolution game play, I do like the premise of the game, and the initial graphics are great. Or let me amend that statement, they are as good or better than games that I love to play on my iPad.
As usual, the game begins with a quick tutorial to get you started. You are selected for Training to become a Bifrost harvester. In the training, you learn how to map Element Alpha and fly your ship through the richest zones to collect it.
In the Route Mapping screen, you choose the path that your ship will fly through, making sure to select the darkest areas of the printout so that you are in areas with the highest concentration of Alpha.
Now you fly your ship. You are basically on a rails shooter that takes place in space. The goal is to keep your ship in the area of Element Alpha while avoiding incoming objects and asteroids. All in all, it is pretty simple as a form of game play.
This is the heart of it for me, the explanation (in the app) of why this game matters and how it works. The basic premise is that you are helping Cancer Researchers to analyze data by flying your ship through the Element Alpha. This is the dream… Games that can change our world for the better, and bring all of us together for one united goal.
Overall
This game is a must have if you want to have games that make a difference. Even if you do not play it that often, it is worth having for the few times you do play it. The game is fun enough and worth a spin.