Tiki Towers Review: Structural Engineering with Monkeys

Puzzle games that put you in the seat of a structural engineer were all the rage in 2008. It started with the PSN’s Elefunk and found something akin to perfection in the sublime World of Goo. It was only a matter of time until we saw such a game, seemingly so perfect for the iPhone, make it’s way to the AppStore. RealArcade stepped up to the plate late last year and released Tiki Towers, a game of bamboo buildings and monkey mayhem.

The gameplay is fairly simple. You’ll be creating geometric shapes made of bamboo so that the monkeys can get from the box they’re hiding in to the exit. The main gameplay mechanic is based around the proper distribution of weight. Build a tower poorly and it will topple before a monkey gets to it. Build it weak and the weight of the monkeys will see it come crumbling down. The monkeys aren’t just motivated by the promise of an exit though — they’re also banana-crazed. There are five bananas on each level and getting the monkeys to them is a big part of the game. While it’s not required to complete each stage, you’ll need to get a gold rating to move on at certain points in the game, and that means getting all the monkeys to all the bananas. You’ll need to make sure your constructs are structurally sound if you expect your monkeys to cover all their bases and make it out alive.

The gameplay is fun and fairly intuitive, but it doesn’t last too long. Tiki Towers is comprised of 45 stages spread out across 5 themed levels which will take you only an hour or two to complete. The majority of levels have fairly obvious solutions to them, and you’ll find yourself powering through the first two thirds of the games with ease. Luckily the last 18 or so stages start to really make you use your noodle, and while solving them doesn’t take too long, it definitely tickles the reward center in your brain and delivers up a smug sense of accomplishment.

Controlling things in Tiki Towers couldn’t be easier, but that doesn’t mean things aren’t flawed. Everything is controlled with touch. You’ll be able to create bamboo structures, remove bamboo pieces, and move around the camera, all with the same sliding motion. But while simple controls are what’s called for here, the system doesn’t always know what you want to do. If you’re trying to move around the screen you may find yourself building bamboo constructs that you didn’t really want. Dismantling those constructs can also become an exercise in frustration, as that too will place more bamboo pieces unintentionally. Thankfully these problems quickly become a regular part of the background noise and can be easily overlooked once you get used to them.

At first glance Tiki Towers may look like little more than a World of Goo clone that’s been shrunk down to fit the iPhone. Spend a little time with it though and you’ll find that RealArcade has released a bargain-priced iPhone game full of personality, puzzles and playtime joy. While a few control issues and a limited offering keep Tiki Towers from greatness, it offers more than enough gameplay to justify the 99 cent purchase. Definitely a must-have for those looking for a simple puzzler with a high reward factor.

Tiki Towers is currently available in the iTunes AppStore for $0.99.

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