.dwayne

I have a semi secret, I really like Semi Secret Software. I was hooked from Canabalt which is available for free in flash form and on the Apple App Store for 2.99. They just released their latest game on the iPhone, Gravity Hook HD.

For those who haven't played Canabalt or similar games let me break it down for you. These are basically platformers where your character automatically runs forward and all you do is control the jumping. You dodge obstacles and bottomless pits in your quest to achieve the highest score.

Gravity Hook is similar except you're not automatically moving and you're moving vertically through the level with your trusted grappling hook. You grapple onto these small orbs propelling yourself upwards. Different orbs have different properties, for example some do nothing, some just drop, while others explode within proximity of your Robosuit or on contact with your hook.

The music is amazing and a good pair of headphones are recommended to get the most out of it. Brings me back to the good old days of 16-bit gaming. *Sigh* those were good times. Speaking of the good old days, I want to touch on something I experience in the comments section for this game. I noticed a bunch of people commenting on how hard it is. People suggested Semi Secret should implement a difficulty setting. Being a gamer from the 80s I have witnessed the gradual decline in the challenge of video games. The recent rise of Indie developers and the App Store have brought back the challenge to gaming, one that I welcome with open arms. These kids today just don't know how easy they have it. Gravity Hook HD has a bit of a learning curve, but that's nothing compare to the original flash version. The original required you hold down on a orb as you pulled yourself to it, and not only that, ALL the orbs were mined to explode if you got too close! So chew on that you young whipper snappers!

Video of some of the gameplay or just head over to the site to play for yourself.