Attack of the Spooklings Review

Your village is under attack! Delay the inevitable destruction of you and everyone you love in the newest game by Carles Salas and Picaro Games, Attack of the Spooklings. Combining old school arcade mechanisms and graphics with new touch screen swiping action, Attack of the Spooklings provides fast-paced entertainment, but for how long?

In Attack of the Spooklings you defend your little village against the endless hordes of monsters hungry for blood. You’ll try to survive as long as you can by using your finger as a blade, a la Fruit Ninja, and dismembering the evil little buggers heading your way. Don’t let the 16-bit style and tiny monsters fool you -- this game is surprisingly bloody.

At its core it’s another fun version of the slashing, swiping games popular on iOS. Once you dig a little deeper, however, you’ll find there’s no real substance to Attack of the Spooklings. There’s only one level and two types of monsters, so what you see from the get-go is basically what you’re getting for the entirety of the game. There aren’t any different modes or objectives, nor are there power-ups to add variety -- you’re just seeing how long you can survive and how big of a score you can rack up. The game is fun, but the lack of variation to the gameplay scenery will make you only want to play in short bursts.

Complaints aside, the music is very, very good, reminiscent of Super Nintendo/Game Boy chip tunes but with a few hints of modern goodness. And while there's not much variation to what you're doing, the core gameplay is great for gaming sessions of five minutes or less. There’s a good skill component to slaying the Spooklings, offering extra points for players who can chain extra kills together or wait until the last second to slice the monsters. But don't wait too long .If a single Spookling reaches the gate you're done for. And it's the lone ones that usually cause the most trouble, reaching the gate before you can even notice.

The game makers plan to expand the game as much as players want, so it’s up to the general public to support the company by buying the game if they enjoy it. If you’d like to check it out, but aren’t sure about committing a dollar to it, there is a free, ad-filled version.

It’s hard to recommend such a limited game, but Attack of the Spooklings’ fast gameplay is surprisingly addictive, and if new options are added it really might become something awesome. Perhaps some new locales, power-ups, new types of Spooklings, and a boss fight or two? As it is, it’s a fun, but very limited, experience.

App Store Link: Attack of the Spooks for iPhone & iPad | By Carles Salas | Price: $0.99 | Version: 1.0 | 7.9 MB | Rating 9+