Hogdog down a Hallway (iPhone) > Reviews (1)

Before I even start on this games review let me apologise for the game title, I never created the game, but quite frankly it would be impossible to make up a better name, "sausage toss", "hotdog shooter" they all seem to carry the same sort of connotation.

So lets begin and avoid going into describing the euphemism thats been used as the premise for this game, lets just say the game name gives that "what the hell?" factor, its fine for adults but its a shame they couldn't make a more child friendly name up for the game.

So all laughing aside, what is this game?

Well its a sidescrolling game of utter simplicity. You turn the ipod touch/iPhone left and right like a steering wheel to contral the angle of your sausage to maximise his bounce and hence maximise the distance you can hurtle your hotdog down the hallway.

But how does the hotdog come into existance? Well first you decide the angle of fire, once happy with the angle you then "poke a pig" at the right time which then leaps into a mincing machine and out the other end pops your cheeky little hotdog, shooting through the air at your predetermined angle of attack. Quite frankly this is just silly, its funny in a warped way the first time but it soon getsannoying (maybe the game maker could make an update to make this more child friendly, like pre-packed sausages?) But don't let that put you off the real gameplay.

If you've got your angle right and got enough power into your sausage production then your little sausge will be truely flying, but you need to control him to maximise the distance he'll travel, and to do this you need to avoid obstacles and make use of features around you.

Crabs are to be avoided, their pincers chop you in half (which renders you instantly dead, game over, how far did you travel?), but if your wearing a marigold they can't chop you (its a 1 time only use though, and you need to bounce into another marigold if you want to make sure those pesky crabs don't get you). Landing behind a fresh air fan is also fatal and soon renders you a tiny portion of mince! There is no way to protect yourself from the demon fan other than avoiding them.

However help is at hand to help you go the distance? The demon fan can be used to your advantage if you land on top of it as it will blow you far along the hallway. Rubber plants have a bouncy leaf, if you land on it just right it will propel you down the hallway with less power than the fan but it keeps you moving. Finally there is the chandelier which when you hit it makes you travel rapidly down the hallway but causes you to bounce toward the floor.

The aim is to keep your little sausage bouncing on his tummy, curved slighly forward to maintain an angle of attack for his bounce! Land too much on the tip of the sausage and he'll bounce directly up, loosing you speed and causing you to bash your head into the ceiling. Although sometimes a little altitude can help you fly over a pesky crab. Landing too far forward will bash your little sausages face and cause him to slow down sharply.

If your little sausage slows down too much he'll fall over and stop and its game over. Did you travel further than last time?

Registering on the anon network allows you to share your highscores online, an you can have your achievments (like being killed 3 times in a row by a crab or doing a full 360 degree bounce, or your maximum distance travelled) on your facebook page for all your friends to share.

So would I recommend this game?

Yes I would, avoiding the issue of the game title and those dubious crabs and marigolds its a fantastic little game, and whats more its free on itunes now. You'll find it addictive and frustrating in equal measure, how will you ever better that lucky bounce that took you 1,700ft down the hallway.

To get 5* (stars) this game needs a little more, maybe in the form of a paid version, with more obsticles and means to boost your bounce to freedom. How about levels where if completed (bounce 1000ft to complete level etc) you get a power up (Jet pack Sausage, Super Man Sausage, a one time button to bounce, Super pork ball gun to keep the crabs busy)