Fossil Feast Review

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Fossil Feast Review

at 6:06 AM

Fossil Feast Review

By Jennifer Allen on August 18th, 2011
Our Rating:

:: FUNOSAURUS
Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad

Fossil Feast is an oddly relaxing game all about eating everything that moves.

Developer: Namco Bandai
Price: $1.99
Version Reviewed: 1.01
Device Reviewed On: iPhone 4

Graphics / Sound Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars
Game Controls Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars
Replay Value Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars

Fossil Feast is entirely different to what I expected. Quickly skim reading through the app store description and taking a glance at the screenshots, I expected levels upon levels of creature munching and not much else. To an extent this is what I got, but I also got a much more laidback and casual affair too. You see, Fossil Feast offers quite an open world to explore. Players aren’t restricted to obeying certain objectives or anything constraining like that.

Two game modes are on offer, one admittedly more restricting than the other. Blitz offers players more of an objective with a timed score attack mode making it ideal for quick bursts of gameplay. It’s Evolution however that’s the more compelling and soothing experience. There’s no time limit, no level goals, simply gliding around snatching up increasingly large prey. As players continue, the Pterodactyl grows in size and more impressive prey emerges including some fearsome predators. A levelling up system ensures that the Pterodactyl gradually earns new abilities such as camouflage and a faster swimming speed (particularly handy as he’s so slow to manoeuvre in water at first). A variety of different environments encompassing a cave, rocks and jungle areas ensures the scenery feels fresh as well.

Ultimately though, Fossil Feast is just very easy and relaxing to play. It’s liberating to not be so restricted. At first it might feel a little odd to not have a strict purpose but the gradual unlocking of achievements provides an aim for players that wish to have one. Others can just enjoy the freedom of flying.

Fossil Feast is a different experience to many others on the App Store. Exploring and discovering secret areas is very satisfying but might not be to everyone’s taste, with those people preferring more exact level design instead. For everyone else though, this is an ideal change of pace.