The Physics of a Good Touchscreen Game

By  |  Friday, June 4, 2010 at 1:04 am

I don’t play many games on my iPhone, but occasionally come across one that proves compelling. A game called Toy Physics is my latest fixation. It drew me in, and is a great example of a multi-touch platform being put to its best use.

Toy Physics involves drawing flat or sloping lines to halt, accelerate, or slow falling toys. The objective is to steer the toys into moving bins. Varying objects make the toys’ fall less predictable, requiring the player to devise a different strategy to pass each level. It would not have been possible to really enjoy the game without the iPhone’s touch screen interface; it was a natural fit. The game is available for just a dollar.

Other iPhone games just don’t fit with the interface, and are better played on the desktop. (I stopped playing SimCity on my iPhone after the first play). Games should take advantage of the hardware, not simply be ports of the same old thing on a smaller scale. Perhaps Apple has a point in rejecting applications that weren’t designed with the iPhone in mind.

 
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4 Comments For This Post

  1. iulian Says:
    June 4th, 2010 at 2:40 am

    a list of the top 20 games for iphone http://stylishfirst.com/the-best-iphone-games/

  2. Bill Says:
    June 4th, 2010 at 8:08 am

    This game should be on that list. I’m totally hooked and its only a buck! I wish there were more games like this.

  3. Sean Says:
    June 4th, 2010 at 8:48 am

    I agree. This game is really phenomenal. I love the mix of action, puzzle and strategy. Also the graphics, music and design in general create a very nice overall experience and pull you into this toy world.

  4. Tom B Says:
    June 4th, 2010 at 9:35 pm

    “Games should take advantage of the hardware, not simply be ports of the same old thing on a smaller scale.”

    Yea, right on!

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