Stay

In the bevy of games in the app store that offer a bite size portion of quick fun, Stay emerges from the crowd with its breathtaking visual style. But will the gameplay compliment the visuals, or will Stay’s balance beam fall beneath the line? The concept of Stay (by Anthropophagy) is a simple one.

You have a balance beam with a red object sitting atop it. The object is to keep the red object on the balance beam for as long as you possibly can as you place various objects onto the beam. (And no, this game does not use the accelerometer.) If you’re still having trouble grasping the concept, a nice tutorial is available.

When you first start the game, you’ll immediately notice the fantastic visuals. Both the menus and in-game objects are crisp, unique, and incredibly visually appealing. The game has four modes- Easy, Medium, Hard, and Survival. Easy through Hard are different difficulties of the same basic concept I described above, each with a different ’special’ red object. (Triangle, star, circle) Survival is a unique spin on the original concept. There is no red object, only a balance beam. If the beam goes beneath the screen, you start to lose life. When all your life is depleted, the game ends. Both variations of the game offer a quick, challenging, and hectic experience that is thoroughly enjoyable.

As you progress through the game, you enter new ’stages’. Each stage introduces a new type of block to place. (For example, exploding blocks, or ones that attract all the surrounding blocks.) This keeps things both fresh and challenging. The main reason to keep playing is to beat your own best scores. (Although online high score boards are promised in the near future.) Don’t let this scare you away, though- the level of difficulty (and added Survival mode) will keep you coming back for well worth your $1.99 USD.

The sound in the game is very contemporary and fits into the theme perfectly. I came away feeling that the entire game was very professional, and not one detail about the graphics, sound, or gameplay went overlooked. If you’re looking for a new, fresh title to keep your appetite for some quick and challenging fun down, you simply can’t go wrong with the purchase of Stay. Complete with fantastic graphics, sound, and a great gameplay concept, this is one (nearly) complete package.

Current Status: Recommended

Reviewed at: v1.0.1
Reviewed on Firmware: 3.0
Download size: 21.5MB
Released on: 18th Aug 2009
Retails for: £1.20 / $1.99
Compatible with: iPod touch Gen 1 & 2 / iPhone Classic / iPhone 3G / iPhone 3GS