Swing Star - 4 games to play next
Swing on these stars
A certain game called Swing Star has been flying high in the US iOS free game charts of late. Less so in the UK, though it's still hovering around the top ten.
So what is it? A pretty simple casual flier with a neat swing mechanic, is the easy answer.
It's really nothing special, though. The game looks and plays like the forgettable time waster it is. You can do a lot better.
Check out these four alternatives if you've had your fill of Swing Star. Thank us later.
1
Mikey Hooks
Mikey Hooks features a similar swing-mechanic to Swing Star, as you time your button presses to propel your character further and higher. But make no mistake - Mikey Hooks is on another level entirely in terms of execution.
This is mobile speed-run platforming at its best, with tight controls, fiendish obstacle-strewn levels, and of course that brilliant swing mechanic.
2
Ocmo
Ocmo is another swinging game that operates in another post code to Swing Star. This one's a surprisingly hardcore physics-based platformer, which casts you as a gloopy tentacled creature.
Ocmo's movement system is ingenious, as you tap the screen to attach a tentacle to the nearest surface and swing forward. Think Spider-Man, if the web crawler was a carnivorous monster.
3
Eden Obscura
If the aforementioned games sound too much like hard work to you, then give Eden Obscura a try. It's a beautiful, strange, free-roaming audio-visual experience from the team behind the PixelJunk console game series.
This strange game has you swinging around a psychedelic garden, growing new plants and zoning out to hypnotic electronica. It's really quite beautiful.
4
Ava Airborne
Swing Star has a certain rhythmic momentum to it that reminded me of Ava Airborne. Laser Dog's game is way more slick and content-packed, though.
In Ava Airborne you use a number of vehicles and contraptions to keep your character airborne, striving desperately to propel yourself that extra metre forwards. There's even a yo-yo collectible that sees you swinging in familiar fashion.
