Hands on with Space Monkey for mobile

Glu Mobile is certainly putting its money where its mouth is this year in terms of releasing own-IP games alongside its big brands.

Space Monkey is one of the more intriguing examples, thanks to its heady combination of space and, yes, a monkey. It's already out in the US, so I've been playing the BREW version to get a sense of whether its quality matches its quirkiness.

You play the eponymous monkey who's floating through space grabbing space junk and avoiding toxic waste. How? By rotating, of course.

Space Monkey has both arms and both legs splayed outwards, you see, so your job is to rotate him so he catches rubbish with his hands or feet, while not catching the toxic waste.

You use '4' and '6' to rotate left and right, while holding either down triggers a Super Spin, which enables you to deflect the hazardous waste (but makes you sick if you spin for too long).

Sounds simple, right? But there are other features, too. For instance, you can grab a yo-yo and get extra points for catching junk while twirling it.

As more and more objects come flying onto the screen at once, you rely on little markers telling you where they'll appear, to get you into position. It quickly becomes addictive.

I haven't played too far into the game, since this is the BREW version, and we'll be getting hands on with the Java edition soon. But suffice to say Space Monkey is shaping up well as a fun, addictive casual game.