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Rating: 
- Price: $4.99 (Get It)
- Version: 1.0.0
- Official Site: Illusion Labs
I enjoy a good challenge. I have a great deal of respect for games that are able to successfully balance difficulty with a sense of fairness, as far too many “difficult” games are only so because of cheapness or unwieldy controls. Sway, unfortunately, falls into the latter category. Despite its fun concept and great graphics, a clumsy control scheme ultimately kills the fun.
In Sway, you’re charged with guiding a ragdoll-like creature through a series of stages, avoiding obstacles and collecting star icons on the way to each level’s exit. Using both thumbs, you control your character’s arms. By pressing on either the left or the right half of the screen, you’ll make your character grab on to whatever object is in the background. After a successful grab, moving your thumb left and right will make the creature swing back and forth. The idea is to constantly transfer movement from one thumb to the other in order to make your character swing through each level.
When you get a good bit of momentum going, it’s possible to link several swings together at once. This is where the game is at its best. It’s incredibly satisfying when you’re able to traverse a great distance and overcome a string of obstacles all in one well-timed run.
Unfortunately, it’s far too easy to lose this crucial momentum. Either through control malfunction (often, the character would continue holding on to a platform even after I’d lifted my thumb, or the game would fail to register a press at all) or a misjudged angle, your creature will eventually stop dead in its tracks at some point in each level. This is where Sway turns from fun to frustrating.
Building up momentum from a dead stop involves gently dragging your thumb back and forth several times. Often, though, your character will twist its arm and flop over itself mid-sway in these situations, killing any momentum you had previously built up. This can happen several times in a row, and it only gets more irritating each time.
This is less of a problem in levels that involve straight left-to-right progression, but once the game demands any sort of upward movement, you’re in for a tough time. It’s exceedingly difficult to make your creature climb up hand-over-hand, especially when surrounding obstacles interfere with your range of movement. These moments come far too often, even in the earlier levels.
By the time you get to the later levels, Sway’s controls become an even greater barrier to progress, and it won’t be long until you’ll want to quit for good. As much as I wanted to like this game, I couldn’t get past the awkward controls. It’s got everything else going for it — pretty graphics, cute characters, and a neat premise — but when it comes to gameplay, it sadly fails to deliver.
It sounds to me like you weren’t about to fully grasp the control scheme. The game is totally unique the way it controls…I think it might be the single best aspect of the game. The game was way too short for the price, but I assume by your review, you didn’t quite make it to the end.
seconded
Give it some time,
This is all about replay
While completed easilly in just above a day of casual bursts
Its very oldschool in that way, no blurry assisted controls, no double jump
much like say line rider, only with arguably more precise controls
So your opinion is wellfounded after all, by simply not liking that. Which is fine
Having false thumb registrations or sticking fingers happened to me maybe 7 to 10 times total during some 5+ hours of play.
and in all those cases it may well have had more to do with grease, sweat or too-dryness of the screen than any program shortcommings.
From a gameplay point of view this IS my favorite game on the iphone.
More levels and level editor I wish were something that can be expected at the pricepoint…we’ll see or not I guess.
Level design could be a bit better
Actually getting into the controls I think will take me a good week and a half.
Its not like the original Mario Kart was any fater to pick up :D
Your inability to master the controls shows that you are not a good gamer.
Seriously, just like you, I’ve been pissed off by bad controls in other games many times before. But it only takes a matter of time to master the controls in Sway.
I do agree with you on the point that the controls malfunction from time to time. Otherwise, I give Sway a 4.5/5 stars.
The controls are what makes this game so good! Did you even watch the how-to video? For how long did you play, 2 mins? Jeez. Bad review.
‘Your inability to master the controls shows that you are not a good gamer.’ Or maybe it just means the controls are difficult to access for some, to be fair.
i love this game. the controls are excellent if you give them a chance. learn how they work and they are extremely fun to use. also im not saying that the game isn’t too short but it is pretty difficult to get a gold medal on every level which adds plenty of playing time. overall i would give the game 4/5. if they add more levels then it will be 4.5/5.
The game control is exactly what makes this game fun and unike. It takes a little practice to get the hang of it, but that challenge is part of the fun. I have seen videos of people playing the game with incredible speed and acuracy, jumping all over the screen. You are just not a good gamer or at least a VERY lazy one who gives up easily.
For me is one of the best games on iPhone and iPod Touch at the moment. To get control you need to practice and believe me, at some points in the game you had have to practice more than 5 min. to jump a large distance using real physics. Absolutly funny and awesome.
Also, the ninja character is so great…forget Lizzie, Ninja Rules! :-) Keep playing and you will enjoy so much!
I wrote a Review on my blog (spanish)
[...] provide consistent enough controls to make it worth playing for long periods of time. I didn’t like it, personally, but here’s your chance to see whether you have the patience for it or [...]
DongTsang-do you want yr phone dance?
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=311747545&mt=8
It is every funny and easier to play. Try to sway your iphone/itouch Three dimensional direction, You can get three Hip-Hop’s accompanist. Whenever, any where you can dancing with your iphone/itouch.