However, once clear of that particular "Hurdle of Disappointment," I was pleasantly surprised that a game so "cutesy" and obviously designed for mobile devices or touch screens could be so engrossing for quick play sessions.
As a pink bull coping with anger management issues by scrapbooking -- we've all been there -- Slow Down, Bull has the player controlling the direction of Esteban the bull to collect stickers, avoid enemies, crash into objects to shake score multiplyers and more stickers loose, and generally try to avoid going into a state of unbridled rage (signaled by a quiting-time whistle) and dropping the collected stickers in the nearest barrel.
The controls and "rules" are simple enough that just about anyone will understand the basics very quickly. (Spend too time adjust Esteban's trajectory and he flies into a rage, where he rockets and bounces off objects until it calms down. Hit an enemy and your collected stickers go flying.) That's a very good thing because the difficulty ramp in terms of unlocking the next series of levels seems sharp. By the second series of stages I had to revisit a few of them to collect enough stickers to proceed. So, cutesy it may be but that doesn't make it easier, which might be why I found it engrossing for periods beyond 20 minutes. There's just enough challenge to keep things interesting.
The real "win" for Slow Down, Bull and developer Insomniac Games is that 50% of the net proceeds on sales of the game go to the Starlight Children's Foundation, an organization that's been doing some good work since the early 1980's for kids with life-threatening and chronic health issues. On Steam the game is about $6. That feels like a small figure for some entertainment, let alone getting some money to a worthy organization.
I'm not one to tell you how to spend your money, but what the hell, just this once.
Why not 1) buy Slow Down, Bull to encourage game makers to pursue these charitable pursuits or 2) give a matching donation of whatever you paid for the game directly to the Starlight Children's Foundation or some other charitable organization?
And not that I'm one to be judgmental, but if you don't do either #1 or #2 you're a damn monster.
- Aaron Simmer
Follow @EmpireArmchair
The Good:
- Big and bright, just feels like some joy went into making the game
- Easy to pick-up and understand
- Challenging, but not too challenging
The Bad:
- Difficulty spike might be a bit much for younger players
- You are a monster if you don't at least buy the game
