What is it? A quirky adventure through the human body
Who is it for? Anyone with a sense of fun
How much does it cost? Free with ads, or $1/£1 without
What makes it special? It’s unlike anything else on iOS
Philipp Stollenmayer has built a career out of the unexpected – his iOS games range from the physics toy Zip Zap to the word-ripping Sticky Terms to the whimsical PBJ: The Musical. We reviewed (and loved) all of those. But his biggest viral hit has long been Bacon: The Game, and this latest release is a sequel of sorts – this time turning the silly food-flipping game into a comparatively epic platformer. Bacon in Zane follows the titular rasher of meat inside a human body, on a madcap journey through the digestive system and beyond.
Each organ becomes its own level, each filled with bizarre mechanical contraptions you control with single finger taps. The floppy physics that made the original Bacon: The Game so amusing to play are back, this time feeling even more like a macabre game of pinball. Although it might sound a bit one-note, the game keeps things fresh through pure creativity, with new mechanics and unexpected surprises in each section of the body. Playing with the sound up adds another level of charm, with an omnipotent narrator delivering a regular stream of dry wit and a suite of homemade sound effects made entirely from the developer’s own body. Don’t think too hard about that bit.
The help system is clever too: at any point you can unlock an easier version of a level – either by watching an ad or tapping a button in the paid version – and these easier variants are often so creative that you’ll go back just to see how they work. There are unlockable bacon alternatives hidden in secret areas, and you’re tasked with finding all of the body’s “exits” during your adventure. For folks who enjoy digging even deeper, there’s an honest-to-goodness treasure hunt in the game, with five international phone numbers hidden extremely well, each one winning its first finder an actual iPhone. Three of the five were claimed on launch day; two remain at the time of writing. (Check here for hunt updates).
It’s not one for hardcore gamers, and the one-tap control scheme can occasionally tip from satisfying into frustrating. But despite that, this oddball of a game just oozes fun. Personality goes a long way, and at just $1/£1 it’s hard to fault.