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Review: Sinking Feeling – free falling has never been so much fun

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Sinking Feeling is fun, addictive, and has a gloriously retro feel

Sinking Feeling is a simple game to pick up and play

Sinking Feeling is a simple game to pick up and play

We’ve seen flappy birds, crossy roads and more hit the App Store in the last year, and now a new application has appeared which promises to keep iPhone gamers entertained through the cold, dark winter months.

Developed by Force Of Habit, Sinking Feeling is as simple as it is enjoyable. In the app, iPhone owners take control of a small, pixelated ball as it falls through the air. The aim of the game is to control this ball by touching on the left or right-hand-sides of your smartphone’s screen in order to crash through as many sheets of glass as possible. For each crash, you gain a point: as such, high scores are the name of the game.

The design is also simple, but has loads of character

The design is also simple, but has loads of character

It’s not that easy, though, because at the ends of each sheet of glass are spikes. If your falling ball touches either of these spikes then it’s game over and you’ll need to start from the beginning. In Sinking Feeling, there’s no continuing from where you left off.

But this is no bad thing. Instead, it makes Sinking Feeling the kind of game you’ll enjoy playing when you have only a few moments to spare, and in this respect the app does remind us of the super-popular Flappy Bird. What’s nice about Sinking Feeling, however, is that to succeed in the game it’s not strictly necessary to crash through every single on-screen glass sheet; instead, at times you’ll need to swerve around one in order to ensure you crash through the next two or three. As such, there’s a smart tactical element to Sinking Feeling which we really appreciated.

The app looks great running on Apple's newer iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus handsets.

The app looks great running on Apple’s newer iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus handsets.

The longer you remain alive in Sinking Feeling, the harder the app gets. For example, after surviving for half a minute or so you’ll soon find that approaching glass sheets begin moving, rotating, and changing size. If a sheet is smaller, for example, you’ll need to be extra careful not to crash into its spikes since they’ll be closer together. As we’re sure you can imagine, rotating sheets also pose quite a challenge to gamers …

It's game over if you crash into a spike, and this means starting again from the beginning.

It’s game over if you crash into a spike, and this means starting again from the beginning.

To help iPhone owners get to grips with Sinking Feeling there’s a tutorial mode, and an extra difficulty level means gamers have something to work towards in the app (you’ll need to score at least 50 points in one mode to unlock the next). There are also Game Center achievements and support for a leaderboard, too, making Sinking Feeling surprisingly high in replay value. Graphically, the app is a joy to behold: graphics are traditional 8-bit with a dash of neon, and gamers will certainly appreciate Sinking Feeling’s retro “chiptune” soundtrack.

Overall, Sinking Feeling gets the thumbs-up from us. It’s a fun, addictive app that iPhone owners will love.

Price: $0.99 / £0.79
Version: 1.1
Size: 5.4 MB
Developer: Force of Habit

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