Review: Super Stack Attack (iPhone)

Super Stack Attack is one of ‘those’ games. It’s cheap, disposable, charming and simple. They’re a dime a dozen on the iPhone – look at the likes of Sneezies, Doodle Jump, Fruit Ninja, Flight Control and Angry Birds, so it’s up against some powerful competition.

That sun scares us

But, while Super Stack Attack won’t hit the top of the App Store charts like those games, it’s a decent little indie title with some real charm of its own.

The goal of this game is simple – stack little blocks (called “Stackies,” and complete with cute little eyes) on top of one another. If you place the block in the wrong spot, the growing tower will collapse and it’s game over.

You do this across two game modes – “Endless,” which is a reasonably addictive score attack mode, and “Challenges” where you’ve got 17 mini missions to complete, and completing one unlocks the next one.

Credit to the developer, Flaming Mitten Studios, for trying to vary things up in the Challenges mode – each new level has slightly harder conditions to deal with, but honestly a game this simple isn’t going to give you a great deal of variety, and you’ll complete the whole 17 challenges pretty quickly.

Black Block: "You're going to stack HOW MANY blocks on me?!?"

The real interest in the game is the Endless mode, where the “one-more-go” pull is strong, and it’s the kind of game that you will pull out when bored on a short public transport trip or between meetings.

The presentation of the game is quite charming. The Stackies have a bit of personality – it’s not overboard cute like in Sneezies, but it’s clearly designed to put you in a happy place. The background art is gorgeous – looking like a children’s paper cut project. The music is pleasant and won’t grow irritating.

The only technical issue with the game is that very occasionally (and at random moments), the frame rate can stutter. It might be just my iPhone, but that performance glitch can sometimes topple a tower you’ve worked hard to build.

All up, it’s a technically competent and pleasant bite-sized game for a bite-sized price. Flaming Mitten Studios now has six titles to its name, and Super Stack Attack might well gain it its most recognition to date, as it emulates the style and nature of some of the greats admirably. Well worth a look if you want another time waster sitting on you iPhone.

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