Ski Safari Adventure Time Review

What time is it? Adventure Time! This multimedia juggernaut shows no signs of slowing down, and the Cartoon Network original series' latest outing puts you in control of Finn as he slips, skis, and tumbles down a hill to see how long he can escape an almighty avalanche.

If you're a fan of Adventure Time, you're in for an audio-visual treat. All of the series' voice actors reprise their roles, so you've got Jeremy Shada's excited hollers as Finn, John Dimaggio's mellow vocals as Jake, and Tom Kenny's lecherous chuckles as Ice King, to name a few. The gameplay itself is pretty simple; as Finn, you're rolling/skiing down a hill, avoiding obstacles and grabbing power-ups/money while keeping away from an ever-present avalanche. You'll tap the screen to hop, spin around mid-jump for some extra momentum, and tap yourself back into shape if you crash into something.

Numerous obstacles litter the way down this never ending hill, with rocks, houses, and caves all slowing you down if you don't hit them quite right. The whole world's not out to get you, however. As always, Finn's best bro Jake is there to morph into a snowboard and keep you lookin' cool and movin' fast, plus other Adventure Time regulars like Marceline, Ice King, and Lumpy Space Princess pop up to give you a boost. If you go too slow, or hit too many obstacles, the avalanche will inevitably catch up to you and that run will be over.

During each run you have several in-game quests to complete, ranging from jumping over a certain number of houses to making sure you have gumdrops riding with you whenever you go through a cave. Completing these quests nets you stars and money, the latter of which can be used in Ski Safari Adventure Time's extensive shop. You can upgrade and unlock all sorts of things in the shop, like the strength of power-ups, new levels, and new costumes. It's all great, but some of it's really, really expensive in the hopes of getting you to spend more real-life money so you can get the stuff you want when you want it. It's a pay-to-cheat option in a game that already costs money, and that's just lame.

Speaking of lame, even though the Adventure Time license is in full swing here, Ski Safari Adventure Time is still pretty, well, lame. It's way too easy, for one; some of your early runs can take five minutes or more, and given the lack of variety in the gameplay, that's a long time to tumble down a hill. There are also some audio issues, too, like sound clips randomly cutting out, or repeating incessantly. Those wouldn't be such a big issue if SSAT was more fun, and it's just not. There are a few moments of decent fun to be had, where you're all powered up with Finn's menagerie of friends and you're hauling booty across the clouds and mountains, but these moments are few and far between, and even when the game's at its best, it's still fairly so-so.

If you've got a younger sibling who's into the show, they'll probably have a blast with Ski Safari Adventure Time... for a little while. Its repetitive gameplay and the prohibitive costs to its in-game shop will deter players for playing it too long, which is a shame given how fun-loving and imaginative the source material is.

App Store Link: Ski Safari Adventure Time for iPhone and iPad | By Cartoon Network| Price: $0.99| Version: 1.0.1 | 65.8 MB | Rating 4+