Overview
Swipe it is an unabashedly simple Android game for all ages from developer M/Games, where the goal is to swipe your screen in the same direction as the game indicates, as long as you can until you screw up and have to start over. That’s really all there is to say for an intro; let’s get to the game itself to see just what I mean, shall we?
Setup
Setup
Setup is also dead-simple: download this free game from the Play Store. Once done, you open the game where you’re greeted by the title screen. You can jump into the settings to mute the sound & vibration, you can check out game leaderboards, or you can take a look at your own game achievements to date.
Gameplay
As stated, this is a very simple game. There is not backstory, heroes, villains, or heroines-in-distress. It’s just you and your reaction time.
The game gives you a solid yellow background with a triangular arrow (not unlike the Google Play icon itself) in the lower-center. Above is a cascading run of directional arrows, each indicating which way you should swipe (up, down, left, right). By placing your thumb/finger at the triangle and swiping in the corresponding direction, you wipe that directional arrow from the screen, and the rest drop down by one a-la Tetris.
At the top of your screen is your life meter of sorts; when full it glows green but slowly shrinks during play, turning yellow, then red. You can slow the speed of your bar disappearing and even re-grow it though faster swipes.
Your game ends by one of two ways: your life meter drains to zero, or you swipe in an incorrect direction from the one given. Depending on your progress to that point, you may be given a chance to re-start from your current position, or you may have to start back at zero. Your life span is dictated by accuracy first, and speed second.
As you progress through the game, you are also given diagonal swipes to match, increasing the difficulty level a bit. You earn achievement tokens by hitting milestone numbers of accurate swipes (50, 100, etc.).
Graphics & Sound
If I do have a gripe with the game itself, it’s in the design of the directional arrows that you’re supposed to emulate with your swipes. They are very simple & thin in design, which can make it difficult to ascertain as you speed up (it that one up or down??). Now, this may be by design to increase the games challenge, but I personally think it would be more fun to have these a bit bolder, allowing the player to focus on maximum speed and longevity.
Game sound is rather minimal, including an 8-bit beep with every swipe, and some puny congratulatory horns when you hit a new high score. Meh.
Summary
Like I said, the gameplay is super-simple but can be fun. Where I found the most enjoyment out of it is challenging my kiddos to see who can last the longest (they always LOVE to crush dad at a game). Getting multiple people to engage in the game definitely increases its replay-ability.
All in all, I recommend Swipe It. The game knows what it is, and makes zero apologies for it. It gives you a quick challenge and invokes no guilt when you put it down. Give it a try and see for yourself.
Download Swipe It from the Play Store here.