I just downloaded the first game offering from NGMOCO - the funded iPhone game development company.

Their titles were highly anticipated and I was eager to try it out right away. I’m a bit disappointed. The gameplay is just too ordinary. I don’t mean the game was boring. By ordinary I mean that this game could be ported to any touchscreen phone. The iPhone’s native hardware lends itself beautifully to games and that wasn’t utilized. Maybe I’ve been spoilt after playing some racing games which do this really well

The basic aim of the game is to use your finger to guide an object across a series of mazes. You need to do this quickly without hitting the maze walls. The gameplay does get better in higher levels where mazes are complex.

The game soundtrack simply rocked. Probably the only thing keeping me playing after 15 minutes. If I was to play the game in mute, it would be boring. Just goes to show you that sound is a critical part of the overall gaming experience. Check out the BiiBall game on the appstore to get an idea of the iPhone’s powerful gaming capabilities.

iPhone apps (games, productivity, social) will only shine if they cleverly make use of the device features. Else they’re just like apps on other mobile platforms. What do you think of the game? It’s free so check it out when you can. Screen shots below…