Storm in a Teacup (iOS) review
Platform games are always a sticky proposition with touch-screen devices. You might have to deal with unresponsive controls, or constantly hit empty space as you blindly poke at buttons you can’t feel. They can be a real hassle to play, and that usually leads to a lot of frustration. Happily, I can report that Storm in a Teacup does not suffer this problem; the controls are great. In fact, the whole game is great.
Storm in a Teacup is a platform game that features adorably twee visuals. You play Storm, a young lad who rides along in a magical teacup, gliding through a world that looks as though it was cobbled together with odds and ends.
In Adventure Mode, your goal is to complete 40 levels, collecting all the items in each level as you time your movements to dodge enemies, hazards and solve physics-based puzzles. Most of the puzzles revolve around simple concepts like knocking a rock off a ledge to open a door or sprinting back and forth across a suspended platform, causing it to swing until it closes an impassable gap. Each level features a unique scenario around these core gameplay mechanics, although some levels require you to find keys to unlock doors and other objectives. The difficulty is dynamic enough that some levels may take some time and a few attempts to figure out while others you’ll breeze right through.
The controls work well enough that you can maneuver through some tight areas without a problem, but the jumping mechanic can be a bit punishing. You press a button with a lightning bolt on it which causes the teacup to liftoff. How long you remain airborne depends on how full your “jump bar” is. Hold it down and the bar drains to nothing without getting you very far, but if you tap it, carefully timing each tap, you can usually go much higher and farther. The bar refills quickly when you release the button, but once you lose your upward momentum, gravity kicks in and your fate is earth-bound.
As you play Adventure Mode, you’ll be able to unlock 5 Survival Mode levels that usually feature a tight space with an enemy you have to dodge while attempting to collect as many sugar cubes as possible. It’s a fun challenge to take on, adding a little more to the game once you’ve completed Adventure Mode. Plus, you can challenge friends with GameCenter integration, trying for higher scores and unlocking achievements.
Where Storm in a Teacup loses some of its charm is in the long loading times between levels. This game suffers from a serious case of “long loading screen blues,” taking about 20 seconds for a level to load. In some cases, that’s almost half the time it takes to play a level before you move on and get hit with another loading screen. It’s not quite on par with Duke Nukem Forever’s loading times, but it’s still pretty bad.
Storm in a Teacup makes for a good time with plenty of delights to keep you entertained. Its good looks and challenging puzzles definitely put it a cut above other games in the same genre. If only the developers could find a way to bring the load times down, the game would be nearly perfect.
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