Aporkalypse: Pigs of Doom

Pigs are delicious. Yet while we all agree that a global bacon shortage could easily herald Armageddon, it’s unlikely that the world will be saved by our porky brethren.

That’s the story behind Aporkalypse: Pigs of Doom, a port of the comedy Java game from HandyGames that offers up a good chunk of gameplay meat but ends up tasting a little flavourless.

Taking control of the Four Pigs of the Aporkalypse, you have to bring them all safely to a certain goal. Each level is essentially a grid-based puzzle with multiple layers and coins to collect, with the different pigs all sporting different abilities.

Hunger Pig can swallow bales of straw or boxes in a Kirby fashion, then regurgitate them elsewhere to hold down a switch or form a bridge. War Pig fires cannonballs at distant targets. Pest Pig leaves an Abe-like stench that can possess enemies, and Death Pig can become a ghost at will, travelling on clouds or through traps.

You move individual pigs around the grid by tapping or holding in a particular direction, and you can switch between pigs by pressing a dedicated button.

However, movement feels clumsy. You often end up stalling or going too far, and while your pigs can’t die (you only lose coins when struck by an enemy) falling off a ledge can mean having to restart the level.

You can also tap on a pig to switch between them, so one misplaced touch can see you scrolling through characters instead of getting on with the puzzle.

The puzzles themselves can be well-laid out, but most of the levels are very underwhelming, and it's hard to distinguish the height of a platform throughout because of the way the grid is laid out. You can run into a lot of walls and sometimes overlook an essential ramp or set of steps.

Aporkalypse’s music and cartoony visuals give the game a nice character, with pigs comically trotting across the screen. Sadly, it doesn’t quite make up for the nuisance controls or lack of truly clever puzzles.