More often than not, licensed video games don't amount to much more than glorified advertisements. So, when word spread of a free-to-play The Hunger Games movie tie-in arriving on iOS, you'd probably be forgiven for any initial apprehension. But when that same game is developed several noted members of the indie games community, it's hard not to snap to attention and take a look.
Hunger Games: Girl on Fire boasts a veritable developer dream team, including Adam Saltsman (Canabalt), Kevin Coulton (Doomlaser), Paul Veer (Super Crate Box), and composer Danny Baranowsky. While each member's personal touch is evident – particularly Veer's amazing 16-bit-inspired visuals – it almost feels like the developers were restricted in how much content went into the final product. A sad situation, since what is included shows a ton of promise.
Prior familiarity with Suzanne Collins' popular book trilogy – or The Hunger Games movie – is not necessarily required to get the gist of the game. Girl on Fire is an "auto-runner" of sorts, wherein you're pursued by giant Tracker Jackers (killer wasps) through a two-tiered forest. Clicking on your enemy sends an arrow from Katniss Everdeen's bow, and swiping up or down moves you between the two tiers. The addition of shooting to the running game format is fantastic, but too often a shot is misread as a swipe and you end up leaping to your death.
Interesting game mechanics aside, Girl on Fire is super light on actual gameplay elements -- though to be fair, it's a free download for the universal app. After a certain point, the forest level ends and you'll run through a very brief boss battle; and that's the end of the game. Unfortunately, there's no mode allowing for an unlimited run for ongoing leaderboard competition, so replay value is severely limited here.
The bottom line. While Hunger Games: Girl on Fire looks amazing and features some briefly entertaining gameplay, it also feels more like a proof of concept than a complete experience.
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