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Smack Me Review
Written by Chris Buffa on Thursday, March 5, 2009
Retro-inspired presentation, fun music, addictive Bop It style gameplay.
Ridiculous $2.99 price tag, only three difficulty levels.
Smack Me is a cute little game that plays similar to the toy Bop It. Each of its three difficulty levels (Easy, Medium, Hard) tests your reaction time with random instructions that require you to touch/manipulate the iPhone. Despite its steep $2.99 price, we found it both charming and addictive.
To play, simply wait for an on screen prompt and then quickly perform the action. On Easy, for example, the game asks you to "Smack Me" (poke the screen), "Pinch Me" (similar to minimizing a photo) and "Shake Me" (gently shake the iPhone). These eventually come in rapid succession, and before long you'll have to survive something that sounds like this: "Smack Me, Smack Me, Smack Me, Pinch Me, Pinch Me, Smack Me, Shake Me". Either you'll remain cool under pressure and move onto the next level, or you'll freak out and shake when you should've smacked. Screw up once, and it's game over.
Once you reach Medium difficulty, Smack Me goes from manageable to insane. In addition to the aforementioned instructions, you'll also have to "Freeze Me (hold the iPhone in place) and "Lift Me" (jerk the iPhone upwards). Losing sends you all the way back the beginning of that difficulty, a harsh reality that often leads to lots of cursing.
In addition to the enjoyable gameplay, we're also fond of Smack Me's old school presentation. The 2-D robot (with a TV for a head and the classic game Breakout on its screen) and 8-bit style music give the game a unique retro style.
At the same time, we can't help but shake our heads at the price. Although it's on sale (.99) for a limited time, Smack Me normally sells for a whopping $2.99. That's a lot of cheddar for such a shallow video game. Pick it up on the cheap today or wait for a price drop.
