iHooy! is the first game from Braineaters Games and, yes, the game is just as strange as its name would lead you to believe. You are Sergeant Hooy Ventura, the greatest hero of all time. You served with General Smith in Vietnam, and he now needs your help to save your beloved country from the pandemic turning people into Bombies (yes, Bombies). Help us Hooy, you’re our only hope!
Gameplay
iHooy’s gameplay is a very simple but familiar concept. Everything moves down the four lanes at different times; Bombies always arrive in the outer lanes, humans via the inner lanes. There are two buttons below the outer lanes that activate metal crumplers for smashing Bombies, and two sliders that open escape hatches. Your job is to smash as many Bombies and rescue as many humans as possible. Protecting you are two sandbag walls—should any Bombies get through the smashers.
The story mode is 16 levels of increasing difficulty and varied goals. A tutorial shows the basics of Bombie smashing and people rescuing. Regular levels require completion by smashing a certain number of Bombies, saving a certain number of humans, enduring a set number of Bombie attack waves, or surviving for a set amount of time.
“Till we die mode” is exactly as it sounds—a relentless assault that ends only when your defenses are destroyed and you are killed by the Bombie hordes. You can choose any country you have previously cleared, and statistics are tracked for each.
The Elements
The story is entertaining. As with any story mode, you unlock bits and pieces as you advance through the levels. There are different endings to iHooy!, with the best ending available to those saving 97% of the humans in the game.
The graphics are nothing spectacular at first glance—cutscenes look like a comic book frame, and the in-game designs are nothing earth-shattering, but the sound is rather unique for an iPhone game—it is surprisingly very good. In fact, I’ve played iHooy! for over an hour without once looking to kill the volume or stab my ears with a screwdriver.
The controls take a little getting used to. I’ll admit that I’m not the most coordinated person when it comes to rhythm games (and iHooy! definitely falls under the genre), but once learned, you’ll be smashing Bombies in no time. Just remember to rescue the humans, ok?
Conclusion
Overall, this game is a blast to play. All of the elements, strange though they are, come together in just the right amount to make an excellent game. Add in the low cost of 99 cents, and you have the makings of a unique and great iPhone time-waster.
Rating: Buy
Platform: iPhone
Cost: $0.99
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