Twin Spin
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| Twin Spin

Every now and again, a game comes along that takes sole custody of the 'innovation' label. And do you know what? With Twin Spin, we've found such a game.

As is often the case these days, it started life as a popular online PC title and developer Globz has now brought the conversion, and its neat control mechanic, to mobile. Because, when talking about Twin Spin, the one-button control system, is a good place to start as it's clearly one of the standout aspects of the game.

You take control of two circular, smiley-faced circles that are connected by a line of what we can only assume is rope.

situation is reversed with the With one circle always planted firmly in the ground, the second continuously orbits it. Then, when you click the thumbstick, the revolving circle immediately fixed to the ground and the other one orbiting, and so on.

In this manner, it's possible to get some good honest locomotion going as you continually move one in front of the other. Granted, it's fairly tricky at first, but you soon get to grips with this shambling approximation of walking. Think of it as similar to using stilts to walk around your lawn.

Indeed, with a bit of practice, you'll end up pressing the thumbstick in quick succession to move your smilies in a straight(ish) line. Of course, letting the raised circle revolve longer allows you to change direction, negotiating the various obstacles as you go.

Once you've worked out how to move, you soon encounter the next problem – bumping into objects or walls. Because you're essentially spinning around one of your 'limbs' as you stride around, you frequently swing into obstacles, rebound, and begin revolving in the opposite direction. This can cause all manner of panic.

Movement on its own isn't enough for a game though. That requires a goal. In this case Twin Spin this is to move your character around the gaming area, stepping on and bursting a set number of balloons within a strict time limit.

Indeed, our only qualm about the game is that less-experienced players will find the time limit pretty tough.

You start off with three lives, and you lose one each time you accidentally hit a black balloon. However, you can add to your complement of lives on some levels by collecting hearts. Strangely, you don't lose a life if you fail to complete a level – the game just deducts points and restarts you at the beginning.

In terms of the game's presentation, it's simple but charismatic. Audio-wise, there aren't any sound effects in Twin Spin, but the game does possess a decent ditty to give your ears something to listen to if you leave the audio on.

In summary then, Twin Spin is a game that makes an effort to be different, and it's all the better for it. A fresh, addictive puzzle game, this is easy to recommend.

Twin Spin

Twin Spin is a simple but clever idea that's well executed and will keep you frantically playing and thinking.
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Chris Maddox
Chris Maddox
Liverpool fan, Chris, loves to watch the mighty Redmen play. In between matches however, he's an avid mobile games reviewer for Pocket Gamer. Chris has assured us that he only thinks about Liverpool FC a mere 80 per cent of the day.