Glyder (iPhone) Review

Posted by Joe Richardson on 04.29.2009

Does this throwback to traditional flying games live up to our lofty expectation, or does it crash and burn?



Glyder is a traditionalist's flying game. There are are no enemies, no guns, no real power-ups. It's you and the world, with nothing to clutter it. You play as Eryn, who has apparently been sucked into some kind of dimensional rift and has to collect crystals to get home. The story doesn't matter. It's there because I suppose you need some kind of reason to have some girl flying around on makeshift wings collecting things. The heart of this game is the gameplay.

Playing Glyder gives you the same feeling as playing Pilotwings 64. Something then just felt right about flying carelessly through a 3D world. You went places not to blow them up or complete a mission, but just to see what was there. Glyder is the iPhone's Pilotwings. You maneuver Eryn by tilting your phone. Tilt up and you climb, but slow down. Tilt down and you dive very quickly. Its beauty is its simplicity. You can climb by flying through thermals, you can land on platforms and try to fly from each one to its match. Your goal is to collect the crystals located throughout the various stages, but frankly there isn't much urgency to it. You can fly around for long stretches of time and visit any of the locations you can figure out how to get to. There is no "stage system" or artificial means in which players are hindered from the simple grace of flying.

One very smart move Glu Mobile made was in including achievements for completing certain feats. On an open world game like this, they basically reward the player for trying things out. On one instance I flew as high as I possibly could, then dove till I nearly crashed, pulling up at the last minute. On the way I earned the "Crazy Fast" achievement for reaching terminal velocity. It's a rewarding system and encourages you to try new things. There is even an achievement menu which keeps track of those you've earned, and tells you how to unlock those you haven't yet.

If I had one complaint for Glyder's gameplay, it would be that you can't calibrate your iPhone's tilt for where you're playing. If you're laying down or playing in an unusual position, Glyder can't really tell what you're doing and your controls won't work well. If you could just recalibrate for the position you are in, things would be great.

For just $1 Glyder is easy to recommend. It's a blast to fly around and just explore the various locations in the game. The controls handle very nicely and the gameplay just works. It's hard to keep from getting nostalgic for the great flying games of the past while playing Glyder, and that's a very good thing.

Graphics	8.5	Eryn and her flying contraption look great, and the more elaborate the stages, the better they look. You won't be impressed by the first level but do some exploring and you'll be happy you did.
Gameplay	9.5	This game just works. The controls handle just as they should, and the ability to explore and earn achievements makes this game feel serene to play.
Sound	8.5	The sound fits the mood of the game nicely. There are indicators in gameplay such as when you reach a terminal there is a swoosh sound that indicates that you're going to climb. The sound isn't obtrusive which is a compliment.
Lasting Appeal	8.0	You may eventually tire of flying around once you've collected the achievements and all the crystals, but for now it's a blast.
Fun Factor	9.0	If you like flying games buy Glyder, it's as simple as that.
Overall	9.0   [  Amazing ]