Up

Up is just a little bit crazy. Were it not for Pixar's string of stellar hits earning it a creative carte blanche, it's hard to imagine a film like this ever making it beyond the drawing board, let alone the release of this mobile game version.

Here you are, controlling an old man and a kid tied to a flying house, lifted into the air by a pack of balloons filled with helium. Even the craziest Japanese studios would be hard pushed to match this.

But despite Up's unconventional foundations, Universomo's take on Pixar's latest feels like a match made in heaven.

The game is essentially all about keeping a balance between flying high and crashing to the ground.

The gameplay is split into two types of level; each plays on the same idea – controlling your floating house so that you make it to the end of the stage in one piece.

One set of levels sees you controlling the house directly. Holding the '5' key causes you to ascend, while letting go drops you towards the land again.

Here your primary concern is using the wind currents to guide yourself through the maze-like levels, topping up on helium balloons as you fly.

The other set of levels are a little more traditional, albeit with a major twist. Both old man Carl and his companion Russell are tied to the house, walking along the ground. You control their movements, jumping with the '2' key and pulling the house in with '8' to help it drag you back up into the air.

This action is platform-based as you find yourself leaping between ledges and over pitfalls, while controlling the house as it drags you one way and then the other.

It's a surprisingly hard set up, with simple and short levels merging into complex affairs where navigating the different gusts of wind as well as keeping on track takes repeated effort. Fortunately, Up lets you replay each level as many times as you want to.

And thankfully, the whole affair is also fun. With some brilliant level design, and just enough nods to its subject material to satisfy fans without alienating newcomers, Up is something rare indeed – a game based on a movie that could well be as good as the film itself.

Things are looking up, indeed.