Posted by Ryan Johnson on Jun 16, 2009

Bionic Surfer

Categories: Games, | 0 comments | |

Bionic Surfer created by Robert Casperson is a high quality 2D graphic adventure game where aliens are invading earth and several nearby colonies and it’s up to you, a pretty boy Abercrombie & Fitch looking surfer dude, to save the world. Along the way a mysterious general guides you on your intergalactic quest by providing you with helpful hints for overcoming obstacles, making weapons selections, defeating enemies, and completing levels.

The game begins as you awaken suddenly from your usual afternoon nap. You’ve just had a horrible dream that aliens were invading earth and that you are the only one that can stop them from destroying everyone and everything in their path. But wait! You suddenly realize that it wasn’t just a dream! The crisis is real! Seemingly out of no where a mysterious general appears, briefs you of the problem, and directs you into battle. You don’t know why you’ve been chosen. You don’t know why you’re the only one that can stop them. The only thing you know is that you have to fight, and you have to fight now. You’re earth’s only hope!

To effectively defend earth and it’s colonies you must travel the galaxy and defeat all enemies in your path. You’ll be met by a variety of deadly challenges. Vicious aliens ranging from small to gigantic lurk for you around every corner. In order to complete levels you must nimbly leap over bottomless drop offs, swiftly soar to high reaching areas, destroy blood thirsty aliens and other deadly creatures, lift and stack obstacles to clear unleapable heights, all while combing each level like a detective to find new and more powerful weaponry and to capture enough crystals to activate the global teleport at the end of each level.

Bionic Surfer reminded us a lot of a beefed up and modernized twist to the 80’s smash hit Contra. It’s 2D graphics take us back to a time where up-up-down-down-left-right-left-right-A-B-Start was deeply ingrained in every avid gamers mind. At the time we reviewed Bionic Surfer it was priced at $0.99. At this price the game is hard to beat. It’s graphics are far and above many games in that price range. Bionic Surfers gameplay is fun, challenging, and gives the impression that it takes time and dedication to progress deeply into the game. Overall we were quite impressed with the variety of levels, weapons, enemies, obsticles, and backstory that Bionic Surfer provides.

While playing Bionic Surfer we did identify a few things that we thought, if improved, would help make the app even better. First, we felt the game controls were a little crowded. During some of the more intense battles we found ourselves accidentally pressing two buttons at once. Additionally, there were scenarios in which we had trouble idenitifying the proper buttons to press. Although some of that could be attributed to our newness with the game, we feel that making each key button a different color may help users more effectively identify the proper buttons in battle situations.

In summary, we think Bionic Surfer is a top notch app at a $0.99 price point. Although there are a couple things here and there that could make the app even better, overall the app is exceptional. We hope that the developer won’t attempt to raise the price too much, because as it stands now it’s one of the best apps in it’s price range. Don’t waste any more time! Download Bionic Surfer from the App Store today!