Review: Line Rider

[cjvitek]

The Line Rider concept game is a simple one. You draw a line. A sled travel down the line as if it is a hill.

That's it. Nothing more too it.

The iPhone Line Rider game has some nice features to it, not limited to just the simple "drawing a downward line". You can have acceleration slopes, you can use different tools to draw the lines (free hand, straight lines, etc), and you can save any noteworthy tracks you create.

Having said that, this application got a little old pretty quickly. I mean, there are just so many times you can watch a sled go down a little hill. Maybe I simply wasn't being creative enough with the various tools, but after three or four attempts, I found my attention wandering.

The graphics are simple, but that is the point of this program (not really a game). The animation is smooth. The hardest thing I found was simply drawing the slope. You have a hand tool to move around, and you can zoom in and out. Most of the time I found when I switched the tools, and then went back to draw, I created a cliff drop, where the sled guy would then all off his sled. Maybe my fingers are just too big for this.

It would be nice if it came preprogrammed with some "interesting" designs - either as a saved ride, or as something you could insert into your own creation. It would be nice it there was some sort of automatic "smooth" function - if your hill is too choppy, have some way to smooth it out so the guy won't fall off his sled.

Pros: Good concept, simple interface
Cons: Too difficult to create a "smooth" hill (at least with my fat fingers). Limited ability to retain interest over the long haul.

All in all, for $2.99, this application seems overpriced. I would have thought for $.99 or even $1.99, it might be reasonable, but at the $2.99 I start to expect a little more. If you are a big fan of the line rider type entertainment, go ahead and get it, but otherwise I suggest you save your money. 2 out of 5 stars.

[cjvitek]

Someone pointed out that I did not review the upload/share capabilities of the program. The reason is that I generally try to avoid creating excessive accounts where I need to give personal information (email, address, etc) unless it is an account I believe I will use frequently. I already have too many accounts and passwords to remember, and I get far too much spam as is.

In retrospect, I should have mentioned those options are there, but that you need to create an account on their website. My apologies.

Chris