Tiptop

Tiptop – Drawing the line between success and failure...

I was a little intrigued as to what a game called Tiptop would be about? I didn’t think it would be a game after the name of a similarly entitled cream, but knowing what you can seem to find in the Apps store, you can’t take anything for granted!

I’m relieved to report that the game is indeed a kind of Lemming’s style one. Rather than having to select a roving character on the screen and clicking on a desired action (block, build, climb and so on), instead the task is a case of using your fingertips to draw surfaces to direct your hapless explorers.

You have a limited amount of ‘ink’ to ‘draw’ with. Your explorers march in a uniform fashion, and it is down to your reflexes to ensure you can get all your men safely to the finish. It goes without saying however that it’s not all plain sailing getting your explorers through each level. There are a number of hazards in various shapes and guises that you must try to avoid, ranging from spiked surfaces, dangerous moving objects etc.

You can use the lines you draw to box in your characters or more importantly the moving dangers. Alternatively, you can use the line to overcome obstacles, making a bridge or ramp to traverse your way round the course. It’s worth bearing in mind that your explorers aren’t terribly smart and they aren’t even that good at climbing – so be sure to have a steady hand and not leave too many jerky lumps or bumps, as this will mean all your hard work can be rapidly undone.

One thing to remember is that all your lines are only there for a short period of time, so be sure where you wish to draw or else it could result in lost time or worse, lost explorers. Should you make a mistake, you can shake the device to speed up the erasing process of the lines. When the line is erased, the ‘ink’ available to draw with is replenished.

Overall the game offers a huge amount of fun and challenges your mind, fingers and skill levels. If you are looking for something that offers a bit of a distraction then this is definitely pushing all the right buttons.

Positives

Good controls

Nice twist on the Lemmings idea

Great graphics

Negatives

Some challenges are a bit fiddly – especially the further along you go

A little repetitive

Different difficulty settings would have made this more rounded

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