Get Outta My Galaxy!

Casual smash Angry Birds is built on a foundation of solid physics and well-designed puzzles, but presentation is just as central to its success.

Even when the pernicious pigs have you beat, it's hard to be too dejected, because their smug expressions and chortling grunts raise a smile.

Though an entirely different entity on almost every level, Get Outta My Galaxy! mirrors that number one hit when it comes to auditory ecstasy. Simply put, the noises that accompany the gameplay will make you laugh.

High in the sky

It's worth pointing out at this stage that Get Outta My Galaxy! is a game that comes from an unsettled mind. It is, crudely speaking, utterly nuts.

The idea is to go from planet to planet slapping scores of amorphous foes known as Wikus around the face with your big, black, elastic hand. The accelerometer handles both direction and movement, while a tap extends your arm.

Each planet comes decorated both with fields of grass and enemies hiding between the pointed blades. Clearing each planet by slapping its population of invaders is all that's required and, in truth, it's often as easy as it sounds.

Much of the game's challenge is focused on finding enemies in the grass. It's almost a puzzler-meets-platformer, with some Wikus sectioned off in walled gardens that require a bit of head-scratching to reach.

There are also hazards and power-ups aplenty to keep you on your toes, such as red grass that shreds your flesh and bonus moves that help clear the path, spinning you round at pace and taking out everything and everyone in range.

While Get Outta My Galaxy! undoubtedly oozes quality from every pore when it comes to presentation and sheer character, completing its stages is always a question of when, rather than if.

Given that there's no clock ticking away in the corner, completion relies on your resolve to keep on plodding forward and nothing else.

Sadly, after several thousands slaps, the whole affair becomes repetitive and it's questionable just how long the initially enjoyable experience can pull you through when play gets stuck on repeat.

For those first few stages at least, Get Outta My Galaxy! really does feel like it's orbiting around something special, though this is one cycle where the revolutions lose momentum far too quickly.