by Daniel Alden

Created on: October 25, 2010

Monster Dash for the iPhone is very reminiscent of an old school arcade game. It is a fast paced side-scroller that has the player competing for high scores. The downside to this style is that it leaves the player trying for little else other than a high score.

Monster Dash has no story. Instead the game focuses on action. The player controls a character that is constantly running to the right, forcing the screen to perpetually scroll. While running, the character must avoid obstacles and eliminate enemies. Enemies can be shot, jumped on, or simply jumped over. The default weapon is a shotgun that has a very limited range. Various weapon upgrades can be found, but all have a limited use before the character's weapon reverts back to the standard shotgun.

As the character runs, the overall run distance is tracked. Every one thousand meters and the character is transferred to a new random area with a different type of enemy. This is the main point of the game. The distance one travels is their high score. Through the use of Open Feint, one can compete with friends for top score. Other scores kept are most enemies killed in one game, total enemies killed, and overall distance traveled. Open Feint also offers many achievements for the game.

The graphics look like an early game from the 16 bit era of gaming. They are very crisp and colorful. The in game animations are solid and pleasing to the eye. Graphically speaking, the environments are the truly impressive portion of the game. There are several different settings and each offers great looking backgrounds that fit the enemies for that area.

The music is catchy without being annoying. It helps move the action of the game along, but will not stick with the player after the game is turned off. Each area has its own music, which is always suited to that area. The sound effects are good and in line with what one expects to hear when a shotgun is fired or an rocket launcher is used. While the sound effects are nothing special, they fulfill their intended goal.

As with many iPhone games, Monster Dash uses on-screen touch controls. To accomplish this, two buttons are used. The left button jumps and the right button fires the player's weapon. The control is fantastic. Only on rare occasions do the controls fail to respond.

Monster Dash is an extremely addictive game. Each round only takes a few moments, so it can be a fantastic game if one needs to kill a few minutes. With that said, many players will find themselves playing again and again due to the addictive nature of the game. At $0.99, this game is a must buy for gamers that own an iPhone, iPod Touch, or even an iPad.

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