Granny Smith for iOS review: Don't be fooled: Granny's got skills

Granny Smith lets you play as a cane-wielding granny as you roller skate through levels trying to pick up three apples before an apple thief steals them first. Fortunately, the apple thief is not a great skater, but you'll still have to pull off an almost perfect run to stay ahead.

8.5

Granny Smith for iOS

The Good

<b>Granny Smith</b> has beautiful hand-drawn graphics, fun physics-based gameplay, and levels that bring plenty of challenge.

The Bad

When you miss some jumps, the whole level starts over. Sound design is unimpressive in contrast with the excellent graphics and gameplay.

The Bottom Line

If you're looking for a fast-paced platformer with excellent physics-based gameplay, don't let the tame name fool you. Granny Smith is both challenging and a lot of fun.

The controls in Granny Smith are as simple as can be, but it's your timing that will bring you the most success. On the lower right a jump button will send you flipping through the air, and you'll need to let go at the right moment to stick your landing if you want to keep your speed. A button in the lower left extends Granny Smith's cane so you can grab on to wires and zip-line past obstacles. The key is to take the path that leads you through the most coins and each level's three apples, all while staying ahead of the thief, who will steal your perfect three-apple rating. At the beginning of the second world you'll get a new button in the lower right that you can use to throw baseballs that will knock out walls and windows that slow you down.

What makes Granny Smith so much fun is both the cute "Wallace and Gromit"-style graphics and with the excellent physics as you jump and zip-line through levels. There are three themed worlds to explore with 12 levels in each world, and you'll be faced with additional challenges (such as the need to throw baseballs) as you progress. When you reach the end of a level, the app shows you a retro-style replay with zoomed-in camera angles and occasional slow-motion effects. These smaller graphical details are what give the game a unique style that adds to the fun.

There are a couple of extra items you can unlock or purchase in the game. As you complete each of the first two worlds, you'll unlock additional characters to skate with. Though there are not any gameplay advantages to switching characters, you'll be able to play as Scruffy the dog or a heavyset man named Stanley if Granny gets too boring. You can also use coins you've collected to buy bonus items, such as a helmet for quicker recoveries from falls, and banana peels to slow down the thief. It is also possible to buy more coins with real money, but I was able to experiment with everything and have a fun time without buying coins.

For all its stylized beauty, Granny Smith has a couple of issues. The in-game sounds are not very impressive, especially in contrast to how great the game looks. It also has an annoying game mechanic in which missing certain jumps will send you into a pit that's impossible to get out of, and the game promptly starts you over from the beginning. While these aren't huge issues, they do take away from an otherwise unique and great-looking game.

Granny Smith is the type of game that's easy to overlook, but if people give it shot, they will not be disappointed. Beautiful graphics, solid physics, and the ability to pull off impressive flips and zip-line combinations will keep any gamer interested, and the cute stylized graphics make it all a bit more fun.