To begin, I don’t find iPhone games anything more than good time wasters. Whether you are in line at the DMV or just in the bathroom (yes, I take my iPhone to the bathroom; what, you wanna fight about it?). Angry Birds, Train Yard, and Tilt to Live are all great balances of challenge and uniqueness. Flick Buddies tries to do that, and they get really close, but just barely missed the mark.
The first thing I noticed is that you don’t get to choose what “team” your characters are. I know it’s a little thing, but it would be a nice feature to have. Aside from that, once you get into the game, it’s fun. I have played it a few times but I can see how long sessions can get boring.
One other aspect I didn’t enjoy was the cool down option in the speed, with which you can launch the “balls.” I understand that it s a game balancing issue, but once a player gets one in, he or she should be able to flick another one out. Also what makes it furious is the vortex that floats around. I’ll be in line to hit the mark, a vortex floats by, and just barely brushes up against my ball, and the ball gets sucked in. Yes, a vortex has gravity and can pull you off-course, but I swear it has it in for me.
One fascinating and fun feature is that it has local multi-player. It is somewhat difficult on the small screen of my iPhone, but the iPad version looked more appropriate for friendly flicking.
In the end, it is a fun game to just pick up and play, with friends or even by yourself…in the bathroom, or not.
You can check out Flick Buddies in the iTunes App Store here and the iPad version here.