When I first heard that Two Tribes were involved in the iPhone/iPod Touch version of Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, my hopes for the game rose considerably. They had an excellent release earlier in the year on the iDevices in the form of Toki Tori and I’m pleased to say that they haven’t disappointed me with Ice Age one bit.

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Packed with chills and thrills, the game features the diehard and tormented saber-toothed squirrel, Scrat, who just can’t seem to get…hold…of…that…acorn!

Acorn-obsessed and oblivious to climatic perils faced by the rest of the movie’s characters, Scrat is as single-minded as they come: nothing will stop him from reaching his prize. That said, Mother Nature and every creature further up the food chain are inadvertently stacking the odds against him.

In Scrat’s new iPhone adventure, life is not looking any easier, but at least this time he has you to lend him a helping hand. Set across four perilous and puzzle-filled zones — including ice caves, snow, mist-filled caves, and jungle — Scrat pursues delicious acorns as players use a revolutionary on-screen control system to direct him to his goal.

Created by the award-winning developers, Two Tribes, whose previous iPhone games include the massively fun Toki Tori, and published worldwide by Chillingo, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs has been crafted to mirror the charming characters and detailed environments that captivated movie-goers when the film released earlier this year. The game will be available to download from Apple’s App Store in November 2009.

Game Features

  • Alternative storyline focusing on Scrat’s journey.
  • Unique touch-and-go iPhone control system.
  • Scrat can climb, hang from the ceiling, shove blocks, break ice, float around, solve puzzles and much more.
  • Four environments, each with its own unique gameplay.
  • Features Manny, Ellie, Diego, Sid and Scratte as supporting cast.
  • Many hours of playtime.
  • Replay value due to collectible system.

Your character in the game is Scrat, the loveable, clumsy, acorn lover from the films. The controls are very similar to those seen in Toki Tori, basically you click wherever you want on the screen and Scrat will walk there, if he can. He can’t climb easily over walls, so he will need you to move blocks to get him over both those walls and gaps to collect his acorns as well as reach the end of the levels. To move blocks, you click on the one you wish to move, Scrat then scurries over to it and then a left and right arrow appears on the screen. This enables you to either push or pull the block to where you need it to go. As I mentioned, they can plug gaps in the floor up or be used to simple move so you can drop down from a higher level onto one to carry on through the area.

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Choosing Scrat was a bold move, but it is one that fits in perfectly with the games idea of collecting items, what better to collect than Acorns! Collecting enough acorns will open up an expert level later in the game, so well worth finding them all. Not everything is moving blocks and collecting the acorns though, as the game progresses it gets harder and harder with ice to break, puzzles to solve and more. Early on there are level with tar pits, but don’t worry, these don’t harm you. Walk Scrat into one and he becomes a tar bubble and can float in the air for a certain amount of time before it bursts. This helps you move up and around the level and get into hard to reach areas.

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Scrat will also come across Ice which he can break, as well as stalactites, these can be broken off to fall down by tapping on Scrat once so he stomps his feet and they come crashing down. You can once again move these around to help solve puzzles and open up newer sections of the levels. You will face enemies, but they can be knocked out by dropping blocks etc onto them from above, or simply avoided by moving round them. Some enemies will just keep moving from a to b while others will chase you when they see you.

Graphically you can’t fault Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs one bit, it looks excellent, it has the exact look and feel of the film and has really cute animations throughout. You will come across various characters from the film too, all really well animated and looking great on the iPhone/iPod screens. Backgrounds are all well drawn too, once again mimicking the film perfectly. Sound is good too, with Scrat’s usual mutterings as well as some good background music that, while repetitive, didn’t get on my nerves.

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Two Tribes have to be commended for sticking to the kind of control system that they previously used in Toki Tori for Ice Age, it could have been a bad move, but it fits in perfectly here both within the Ice Age universe as well as making it a good, fun game to play. I can’t find much to fault here, the only disappointment I have is that young children may find it a little difficult, but that isn’t always a bad thing. Overall an excellent title and one that I hope gets a sequel in the future.

iTunes Link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ice-age-dawn-of-the-dinosaurs/id338101467?mt=8

Conclusion

ProsCons
Fans of both the films and Toki Tori will love it, excellent graphicsMusic repeats, not enough extras to unlock, might be too hard for youngsters
VerdictFantastic
Rating
90%

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