Game Reviews

Catch the Ark

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iOS
| Catch the Ark
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Catch the Ark
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iOS
| Catch the Ark

After being out of Sunday school for some years, I've come to accept that some of what I was taught was wrong.

The antediluvian Noah, for example, is a tremendous jerk if PlaySlide Studios's Catch the Ark is to believed.

Rather than serve as the soft-hearted shepherd of all species destined to survive the flood, Catch the Ark's Noah is a panicky self-centered sod who clearly doesn't want certain critters to survive the flood since saving them might get him a bit wet.

Water, water everywhere

To stymie the selfish shepherd, the three adorable critters you control hop onto a raft just before the flood waters surge up behind them. The ensuing wave sends them rocketing after the ark, and thus the endless-running - or, more accurately, endless-rafting - of Catch the Ark begins.

At the outset, you only have two control options to worry about: tap right to move right and tap left to move left. Your raft will zip along at its own pace, and all you need do is avoid obstacles while collecting coins and achieving mission objectives.

For the most part, these objects are fairly simple (jump over 15 ramps, avoid seven crocodiles, etc.) but some are downright fun - like delivering five high fives to monkeys as you raft past them.

Rapidly improving

What's queer about Catch the Ark is that it doesn't deviate from the play-collect-play model that many IAP-driven games rely on.

You're playing to unlock missions and top your best score, and collecting coins only allows you to buy some admittedly cute skins for your raft or purchase a handful of lacklustre consumable power-ups.

In short, there are no secret bonus levels, and the gameplay doesn't change all that much no matter how many hours you invest in the game.

But despite this lack of content, Catch the Ark is undeniably fun. Your three critters gambol and dance about the raft as it bobs along, and as you steer around the dynamite mines that Noah hurls at you (remember when I said he was a jerk?) you can't help but smile.

There's no gripping story to Catch the Ark, and - because it's an endless-runner - you can safely assume that you'll never actually catch the Ark, but that doesn't mean you can't have fun along the way.

Hang 30

Perfectly suited to casual gameplay, Catch the Ark serves as a great example of what arcade-style endless-runners should aspire to.

The gameplay is neither particularly deep nor involved, but Catch the Ark uses this as an advantage as it delivers fun in short, manageable bursts which are easy to fit into idle moments throughout the day.

Catch the Ark

Gorgeous graphics and fun presentation make this game a difficult one to stop playing
Score
Matthew Diener
Matthew Diener
Representing the former colonies, Matt keeps the Pocket Gamer news feed updated when sleepy Europeans are sleeping. As a frustrated journalist, diehard gamer and recovering MMO addict, this is pretty much his dream job.