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Trailer Review: Edge

Posted by Derrick Sanskrit

Take a gander at this trailer for Edge, the new iPhone/iPod Touch game released today by mobile phone game developer mobigame and feel the waves of nostalgia for a game you've never even played.

In its presentation, Edge is equal parts Marble Madness, Q*Bert, and Tron, but it clearly has potential to be ever so much more.

Beautiful isometric geometry, subtle use of color, a soundtrack halfway between 80's new wave and contemporary chiptune, Edge may very well be the stylish iPod counterpart to artsy downloadable console titles like Eden, Everyday Shooter, echochrome, Orbient and Cubello.



As I mentioned above, Edge was just released on the App Store today. As I've been on a serious gaming binge on my iPod Touch lately, I'll be sure to check this one out, but damn is that trailer stylish!

Related articles:
Overworld: Marble Madness
iPhone Owners Are Gamers, Idiots
The Original Adventure - Now Portable
Ports That Need To Be Made: iTouchRez


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Comments

Rob said:

Looks sweet.  Let me know how the gameplay is.  I've seen quite a few decent games on iphone held back by the crappy control.

January 5, 2009 4:28 PM

Derrick Sanskrit said:

I was worried it would be all tilt-controlled, but thankfully it defaults to touch-swipe control with an option for tilt.

The animation so far is rather divine. I didn't think it possible, but my iPod Touch is rapidly replacing my DS for the title of favorite portable gaming device. The future of the platform is bright indeed!

January 5, 2009 5:08 PM

Demaar said:

Man, it looks like the kind of game that I'd be longing for a Dpad for. Looks very cool, but still not enough to want me to suffer through Apple's mandatory bullcrap software to manage my songs. If you own an iPod and you're not using it for audio listenings, you're doing it wrong.

January 6, 2009 3:52 AM

Derrick Sanskrit said:

Having played through half of the game's 26 stages now, I can definitely attest to the quality of Edge. The graphics and animation are smoother than any other iPod game I've played, the sound is great (it even knows to disable the game's soundtrack when you have music playing on your iPod, though sound effects are still optional and fantastic), there's a ton of replay value thanks to all the hidden cubes to find and desire to beat your best time. Every stage seems to introduce a new exciting mechanic. I already wish the game were longer.

I always got confused in isometric games on the NES (like Marble Madness and Solstice) because I would lose track of which direction was up and which was left. No problem here as you actually drag your finger diagonally. Control is tight, and the first time you edge-balance (the technique shown in the video around the :35 and 1:00 marks) across a gap is a revelation in platforming. I do believe Edge should replace Rolando as the "must-have" iPhone/iPod Touch game. Damn, I really need to do a write up of all the iPod Touch games I played over the break...

January 6, 2009 12:08 PM

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John Constantine, our superhero, was raised by birds and then attended Penn State University. He is currently working on a novel about a fictional city that exists only in his mind. John has an astonishingly extensive knowledge of Scientology. Ultimately he would like to learn how to effectively use his brain. He continues to keep Wu-Tang's secret to himself.

Derrick Sanskrit is a self-professed geek in a variety of fields including typography, graphic design, comic books, music and cartoons. As a professional hipster graphic designer, his recent clients have included Hooksexup, Pitchfork and MoCCA, among others.

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