The public's fascination with cartoonish birds flying through the air in non-standard ways continues apace with Air Penguin -- a bouncy top-down platformer that nods towards some classic games of yesteryear.
Whale Trail is a collaboration between UK developer ustwo and Super Furry Animals singer Gruff Rhys, who contributed to the soundtrack. Willow the Whale has escaped the clutches of the evil Baron Von Barry and is flying away to freedom through a strange and wonderful world of rainbows, rainclouds and multi-coloured whimsy.
This is NOT Angry Birds. Yes, you do fling avians in graceful arcs towards a target and yes, you get a star rating at the end of each level and -- again, yes -- the graphics are cut from the same cartoonish cloth. But these are mere coincidences! For a start, there is only one bird. He even seems quite content.
Constant C is a great example of an indie developer having a brainwave about a new play mechanic and really running with it until its logical conclusion. The game combines elements of 2D platform hopping, a physics-based sandbox and lateral thinking puzzles into a quirky yet unified whole. It may also make you drop your phone, causing hundreds of pounds of real-world damage.
Cartoonish pigs just can't catch a break. 'Borrowing' a few eggs is enough to draw avian suicide attacks and now it seems they can't even pop out for a quick pint without a horde of dwarves throwing rocks at them.
