Game Reviews

Elf

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| Elf (iPhone)
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Elf
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| Elf (iPhone)

It's ironic that the phrase 'Standing on the shoulders of giants' was made popular by Isaac Newton.

The greatest scientist to have lived, as well as one of the most arrogant individuals the world has seen, he was one man who could be fairly said to have stood alone.

But for us mere mortals, relying on the work of previous practitioners is the only way to further our particular disciplines.

In the case of game design, trying to improve upon what's already popular is a sensible approach when it comes to commercial survival.

And in this context, any critique of Elf has to be less about its obvious relationship to the superbly addictive and million-selling Doodle Jump than about how it seeks to improve and build on its inspiration, and what it's like to play.

Doodle Elf Jump

First things first. The reason Doodle Jump is a great game isn't because it's graphically impressive or that it offers honed gameplay.

Yet somehow it has an addictive quality which means you always want to have another go at bouncing the doodler on aerial platforms to try to best your highest height before eventually you miss a ledge and he falls back down to earth.

It's very much an example of where the whole is much, much more than the sum of the parts. On that level, it's a strange game to attempt to improve upon, as improving individual parts doesn't necessarily have much impact on the overall experience.

Different moves

Elf developer Matmi has made a couple of radical decisions however. One is to switch the screen's aspect ratio from the standard portrait layout to landscape. This provides more lateral gameplay options; something that's been combined with a less rigorous method of bouncing.

And instead of landing on aerial platforms, you're boosted higher and higher as you collide with the stars, spirals and dots that are positioned over the screen. In this way, Elf is less about bouncing up, up and away and more about moving your elf around the screen, tilting your iDevice to manoeuvre the little fella.

As a gameplay mechanic, it works well. It feels nice, the audio feedback as you collide with the stars is good, and overall it's much less hardcore in terms of failure.

Indeed, the more languid speed is really helpful when you're falling down as, combined with the widely distributed patterns of stars, dots and spirals, it provides an opportunity to save yourself with a reboost. As with Doodle Jump, Elf removes most off screen items when you've risen above them, but is slightly more generous in terms of how quickly these disappear so you have more leeway when your elf is on the way down.

Original and best

Despite this simple enjoyment, Elf doesn't have the "BE WARNED: Insanely Addictive" quality of Doodle Jump.

Partly this is because of its comparative lack of pace, and though it has online leaderboards and Facebook integration, it doesn't feel as viral either. Maybe the elvishness of the game is limiting too.

More importantly, it doesn't extend the basic gameplay in any significant way. Sure, there are power ups and sweet sticks you can collect, but aside from besting your high score there's little to encourage replayability.

It's a shame because a reskinned and retoned version of Elf has the potential to extend the genre. Whether that's by increasing the collectibles, throwing in some obstacles, making more of the sound effects to create more of a rhythm-action mode, or doing more in terms of social networking - or all these and more - well, that's for the game's designers to decide.

Despite this lack though, Elf is a pleasant and enjoyable little game.

It's not original, nor is it likely to capture the zeitgeist in the way that Doodle Jump has. But even if it's more of a piggyback than standing of the shoulders of, if you've loved and had enough of jumping the doodler, it's worth checking out.

Elf

Aside from its change of aspect ratio, Elf doesn't distance itself from its Doodle Jump inspiration, but it's a pleasant variation on the theme.
Score
Jon Jordan
Jon Jordan
A Pocket Gamer co-founder, Jon can turn his hand to anything except hand turning. He is editor-at-large at PG.biz which means he can arrive anywhere in the world, acting like a slightly confused uncle looking for the way out. He likes letters, cameras, imaginary numbers and legumes.