Game Reviews

Santa Rockstar

Star onStar onStar onStar halfStar off
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| Santa Rockstar
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Santa Rockstar
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| Santa Rockstar

For a while in the early 21st century it looked like every game in the future was going to be released with instrument-shaped peripherals. That bubble might have burst, but there are still avenues to explore for the rhythm-action aficionado.

Santa Rockstar is less of an avenue and more of a cul-de-sac. But the time you spend in its guitar-shredding, Christmas-themed corner of the world is likely to keep you entertained. And it'll cripple your fingers.

The Hollies and the ivy

The plot of the game, such as it is, involves you rescuing Santa from a sled crash, only to be imbued with his present-delivering powers and tasked with finishing his work. Because you're a rock fan, though, you do it by playing through overdriven renditions of some Christmas standards.

If you've ever played Guitar Hero or one of the many variations thereof, you'll be instantly at home with Santa Rockstar. As a song plays you're staring down the digital neck of a guitar. That neck has four lanes on it, down which comes blobs of colour.

You need to tap a corresponding button when one of the blobs passes a specific point. Get it right and you'll strike a loud and proud rock note. Hit it wrong and you'll be treated to an ungainly chug and a loss of points.

Queens of the snow age

As with any game of this sort, Santa Rockstar lives and dies by its song selection. There are some great versions of Christmas standards to shred your way through, but there are some duds in the mix too, and with fewer than 20 tracks to bash out you're not exactly spoilt for choice.

Still, when the game hits it hits hard, and with three difficulty levels to work your way through and perfect scores to grab on every song, there's enough game here that you don't feel ripped off.

If you like rock, or Christmas, or rhythm-action games, then Santa Rockstar has something for you to get your iOS gaming teeth into. It might be a little shallow, and its unlikely you'll still be playing come February, but it's an entertaining diversion all the same.

Santa Rockstar

It might have limited appeal, but there's a solid and enjoyable rhythm-action game beneath Santa Rockstar's festive pomp
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Harry Slater
Harry Slater
Harry used to be really good at Snake on the Nokia 5110. Apparently though, digital snake wrangling isn't a proper job, so now he writes words about games instead.