These are the games that first taught us to always check above or below where the action was happening because a small secret could be hidden inside. Platformers, as those who grew up in the classic age of video games will remember with games like “Metroid” or “Super Mario Bros”, formed some of the first great experiences because they relied on timing, precision, and a small degree of puzzle solving to find hidden collectibles. “Oddmar” is a straightforward platform game. Luckily, as I was browsing for some casual games to try, I came across something that looked like it fit the bill exactly- a quirky, fun, beautiful game set in a Norse world but which features an adorable Viking who jumps on mushrooms rather than a god of war hacking and slashing his way through the nine realms. It’s a title worth taking a risk on.After the brutal carnage of “God of War” over the past few weeks I was left with the desire to stay in that beautifully rendered world of Norse mythology but had, quite frankly, become a little desensitized and frankly shell-shocked by the hours of smooth, face-pounding action. Nevertheless, the positives outweigh even this limitation - at least if the external controller compensates. I wish I knew in advance how limiting fine control quickly becomes before laying out the price for this on my iPad. Several walk-through also cite lack of fine control as a bit frustrating at higher levels and in boss battles but herald the fact that the game in iOS supports the use of wireless controllers.

What needs to be done to succeed becomes obvious but the control provided by two thumb maneuvering is not up to the task IMO. This less-than-nuanced fine control became even more limiting in the next level when timed and action sequences are necessary. while the left/right thumb controls are adequate for movements, attacks and actions in the early stages of game play, by the time you reach the second level boss (the Kraken) the fine level control necessary for required action sequences is inadequate. This is a great title: good story line, awesome adventures, superb graphics and fairly intuitive finger controls. Definitely recommend this game if you love adventure platformers, you won’t be disappointed! I hope that we’ll get new worlds/levels soon (I’d happily pay for more), or this app 2 sooner rather than later. Much like a classic Mario game, this app is easy to hop into and enjoy no matter your skill level - although it does actually get challenging at times (something similar games have failed to provide for more avid gamers, in my experience). The art style is adorable, world design is gorgeous, and I’ve gone back to replay a number of times without getting bored. Where some games fail in making controls smooth, which completely takes you out of the game, this app succeeds in making gameplay the focus - once you learn to control our little hero, you’re off and running, not having to stop and fiddle to get certain mechanics to work properly.

The game mechanics and controls are among the most smooth I’ve seen in platformer games for iPhone. I never write reviews for games, but this app has really stood out for me as one of the best mobile games I’ve ever played.

Oddmar art