Rovio's mega-hit Angry Birds pretty much started the one-stage / three-star rating fad we’ve been drowning in over the past two years.
Feed-The-Duck is a twist on the concept, but it doesn’t have enough depth to keep you jumping in after more than a few minutes.
All you can eatPowered by GameSalad's development kit, Jupija's physics-based puzzler stars one hungry duck, who must dive into the river to gobble up all the edible life in the water. His goal is simple: eat all the fish without getting killed.
Lurking at the bottom of the pond are the evil fish, who will shock you to death given half a chance. You can avoid these enemies by watching their patterns and timing your dives.
You catch the tasty fish by using your finger to draw back and aim at the desired angle, then letting it go to shoot your famished duck into the air and headlong into the water below. Points are awarded for the least amount of dives to clear the board, while scores are subtracted for diving without any catch at all.
The game is pretty easy to pick up, with everything you need to know shown in a brief screenshot before you start.
The shallow endFeed-The-Duck is a simple game, albeit one that, frankly, is a little too basic for its own good. The levels add underwater barriers and other things that must be manoeuvred around, but the straightforward formula begins to feel stale after a few levels.
On the positive side, the cartoon graphics and several dozen levels may keep the younger set entertained. As it is, Feed-The-Duck is a charming game that could desperately use some variety in its play.