Rafter HD: An Addictive and Totally Awesome iPad Game!
By: Hillel Fuld
The million dollar question is how to discover iPad apps that are not featured in the App Store. When an app is not in the Top Apps category, not in the New and Hot category, or any other special section of the App Store, it is usually very difficult to find. Many services are attacking this problem with their own solution, in fact, we have a little something up our sleeves that is going to blow everyone out of the water, but that is a topic for another time.
The way I discover apps is a mixture of a lot of things but my social circles on Twitter and Facebook play a significant role in my app discovery. That was the case with Rafter HD as well. A friend (thanks a lot Aniya, I am now hooked) on Twitter recommended to me and I had actually never even heard of it. Based on her recommendation, I went and paid the $1.99 for it and within a minute or two, I was hooked.
The app is an adaptation of the regular Rafter for iPhone, but utilizes the iPad’s screen real estate as well as its superior graphics. Maybe the reason I love this game so much is because it could not be simpler, which combined with stellar graphics, and advanced gaming capabilities, makes for a winner of an app.
The object of the game is to hit a little red mine by drawing different shapes and dropping them in a way that they will land on the mine. The thing is, every level has different obstacles including blocks, moving blocks, falling blocks, swinging blocks, fans, and many more. The game has some seriously awesome physics involved in drawing precisely the right shape so it rolls, bounces, or flies in exactly the right direction to land on the mine.
Obviously, as the levels advance, the game gets harder, and there are some levels you think you will never pass, yet somehow, sometimes after trying tens of times, you pass the level and move on to the next.
Rafter HD is absolutely brilliant and I am not exaggerating when I say it is some serious competition for games like Angry Birds.
Of course nothing is perfect and this is no exception. There are various bugs in the app like the fans not blowing when they should or the bounce intensity not changing despite your adjustments. All these bugs eventually resolve themselves, so it is not in any way a deal breaker, but they are unnecessary annoyances.
The bottom line is, if you have an iPad, this is an absolute must download app. However, I must warn you, just like I did with other iPad games I reviewed, beware of extreme addiction.
Have you tried Rafter HD? What did you think? Please let us know in the comments or reach out to me on Twitter.
