Mobile Gaming: Space Max
Genre: Arcade
Developer: Tiny Games Srl
Platform: Android, iOS
A review by Amelia Wellman
Get ready for a noisy takeoff! Help Max the astronaut monkey get back home with his high-tech jetpack, famously powered by eco-friendly flatulent energy. Rip through space thanks to this powerful yet all-natural gas that lets you fly higher and higher because after a crash landing on planet Cowa-426, our brave hero discovers that the only way to get home is through the power of flatulence. Help him collect scrap metal to build powerful space suits. Careful though! The journey through space isn’t exactly a piece of cake (or cut of cheese…)! Watch out for space cows, asteroids, and other silent but deadly perils of the universe. Remember: you only have yourself to count on. Don’t be embarrassed: as they say, IT’S BETTER OUT THAN IN!
So… yeah, this is a mobile game based on farts. Monkey farts. Simply tap your phone’s screen underneath Max the monkey to make him go straight up, tap the left side to send him to the right, and the right side to send him to the left. Collect bananas to keep your fart gauge filled up, because if you run out of power, you’ll plummet and have to start again. Throughout levels you can also collect bolts (the in-game currency), but watch out for any of the barriers or obstacles because even barely scrapping them with your head or feet will send you back to the beginning.
Now, with avoiding hitting obstacles as you try and make it to the top the main component of Space Max, you would think that it would work better. It’s not atrocious by any means, and the game is still playable, but there’s just not enough space between your character and the top of the screen to ever feel like you have a handle on what’s coming. You’ll pretty much never know what’s coming at you until you’re crashing into it, and with only one hit before you die, you’ll be restarting levels ad nauseam.
Like most free to download mobile games Space Max has some in-game micro-transactions. The in-game currently are little gears (well, they look like little gears but are actually called bolts) which you can pick up in levels as you fart ever upwards or you can buy them starting at .99 cents for 3,000 and up to $99.99 for 1,000,000. You’ll need these bolts to upgrade your gear and as a continue in levels to avoid starting from the beginning if you hit an obstacle. You will also occasionally be given the option to watch ads for other games to get 200 bolts for thirty seconds of your time.
The Verdict
If you have a young child that gets a good laugh out of farts, Space Max is worth a Check it out for the few moments of peace you’ll get by sticking your kid in front of a mobile game. If you’re looking for something for your morning commute, you might want to look elsewhere. The controls of Space Max are a little too rough and shaky for public transit and the “humour” of farts too annoying for so early in the morning.
