Pigs are delicious. Yet while we all agree that a global bacon shortage could easily herald Armageddon, it’s unlikely that the world will be saved by our porky brethren.
That’s the story behind Aporkalypse: Pigs of Doom, a port of the comedy Java game from HandyGames that offers up a good chunk of gameplay meat but ends up tasting a little flavourless.
Ham 'em highTaking control of the Four Pigs of the Aporkalypse, you have to bring them all safely to a certain goal. Each level is essentially a grid-based puzzle with multiple layers and coins to collect, with the different pigs all sporting different abilities.
Hunger Pig can swallow bales of straw or boxes in a Kirby fashion, then regurgitate them elsewhere to hold down a switch or form a bridge. War Pig fires cannonballs at distant targets. Pest Pig leaves an Abe-like stench that can possess enemies, and Death Pig can become a ghost at will, travelling on clouds or through traps.
You move individual pigs around the grid by tapping or holding in a particular direction, and you can switch between pigs by pressing a dedicated button.
Ham-peredHowever, movement feels clumsy. You often end up stalling or going too far, and while your pigs can’t die (you only lose coins when struck by an enemy) falling off a ledge can mean having to restart the level.
You can also tap on a pig to switch between them, so one misplaced touch can see you scrolling through characters instead of getting on with the puzzle.
The puzzles themselves can be well-laid out, but most of the levels are very underwhelming, and it's hard to distinguish the height of a platform throughout because of the way the grid is laid out. You can run into a lot of walls and sometimes overlook an essential ramp or set of steps.
Aporkalypse’s music and cartoony visuals give the game a nice character, with pigs comically trotting across the screen. Sadly, it doesn’t quite make up for the nuisance controls or lack of truly clever puzzles.