Tipping Point Review

Amidst the various sights and sounds of the day, we may lose a bit of focus on life's more sublime mysteries. Tipping Point doesn't offer a deep insight on human existence, but in its own quiet way this point and click adventure game gives us space to formulate our own thoughts and gradually immerse ourselves into a highly eccentric and intriguing universe.

Players start off the game sitting on a sofa, with a remote control ready to use and a potato chip bag ripe for devouring. If you want to be a couch potato, however, turn on your own entertainment system, as Tipping Point has an entirely different objective. After you are ordered by some cryptic message to turn your television to a specific channel, an entirely different world opens up before your eyes within seconds. And yes, that is a heron on your leg.

Although you explore beaches, caves, and even a tree house, technology isn't far behind in this seemingly primeval environment. If solving puzzles is your strength, then putting the abstract pieces of Tipping Point together should hold your attention. For the less cerebral thinkers who just want to soak up the atmosphere and just go on an entirely different gaming ride, an in-game hint feature keeps things moving at a brisk pace. Thankfully, there are no extra purchases needed for these hints to surface, and the wait time for each clue takes mere seconds to materialize. So whether one needs an elongated and abstract puzzle solver or a smooth, streamlined experience, Tipping Point will satisfy both needs.

As you venture throughout the game, various items are required to help solve each puzzle and get you to the next set of challenges. To add stuff to your inventory, just tap the discovered items on the screen. Tapping is actually all you need to walk, build devices, or even cook soup for a unhealthy individuals who help you unlock the title's main mystery. If you're expecting a plethora of action, you've downloaded the wrong game. Tipping Point is a game which gives gamers a beautiful visual and aural experience along with a few brain twisting challenges. Imagine the TV series Lost without the polar bear or the hatch exploding and that's what you'll get with this enigmatic title. Gamers who grew up in the 1980s will also appreciate Tipping Point's use of the Atari brand, cassette tapes, and a lookalike Speak and Spell device. A little nostalgia doesn't hurt either.

Since I'm not into giving out spoilers, to elaborate on the narrative behind Tipping Point would defeat the game's purpose. With its interesting blend of the old, new, and surreal, the adventure exists as a journey into one's dream state, where toucans, flamingos, and seemingly outdated electronics all hold their respective importance. Developed in 2007 as an online Flash game, this new version features an epilogue that answers all the big questions. With a title as deliciously abstract as Tipping Point, maybe the end is just the beginning.

Store Link: Tipping Point for iPad | By Dan Russell-Pinson | Price: $1.99 | Version: 1.0 | 255 MB | Rating 9+