There’s been no shortage of amazing games for iDevice of late. Y’know the type that boast bleeding edge eye candy, out of this world production values and hurl around polygons like there’s no tomorrow.
So it’s something of a surprise then that a low budget, low brow,self-confessedly “frustrating and illogical” point and touch (mis)adventure which makes no secret of it’s sloppy animation or lazy programming might just be the most brilliant thing to enter the Appstore this side of Christmas.
The brainchild of Scottish indie gaming outfit, Flag Hippo, the bizarrely titled, All Fridges are Psychotic puts the player in the boots of badly drawn boy wonder, Julius Brown, as he embarks on a seemingly straightforward quest to enter his film script in a local competition.
Predictably this mission doesn’t go quite as planned. Unpredictably it features a time-travelling refrigerator, chucking cats out of windows, and some of the funniest dialogue in an iPhone/iPod Touch title since Gameloft’s (unintentionally) hilarious Blades of Fury.
Absolutely jam-packed with pop culture references (everything from Doctor Who to Twitter is fair game) and irreverant humour, Fridges is a laugh–a-minute experience, while the tongue in cheek high concept premise and Monkey Island inspired gameplay gel perfectly. A distinctive underground-comix-esque style, an easily grasped interface and control set-up round off this perfectly formed package nicely.
However, the extreme difficulty of some of Fridge’s puzzles could be a turn-off for the average casual gamer; no word of lie, I spent almost half an hour trapped in the initial apartment setting! That said, if you like your games to test the old grey matter (while tickling your funny bone) Fridges definitely has the longevity to keep you hooked right through the silly season.
iFanzine Verdict: Throw your phone against the wall frustrating and laugh ’til you cry funny in equal measure, Fridges may well prove to be gaming Marmite… but then again, I do love a bit of Marmite!