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Normally, if a tightrope is strung high above the ground between two buildings, one would expect to see someone light, lithe, and very skinny walking across it. In TightWire Adventures, exactly the opposite is true. In fact, the main character in this game is the furthest thing from what one would think a tightrope walker should be. Still, that doesn’t stop him from performing death-defying feats with ease and bravado. Of course the only way he can make it to the far end of his tightrope is with some balancing help from the player.
TightRope Adventures is actually the sequel to TightWire, and the core gameplay hasn’t changed much. The player tilts their device forward to make their character walk forward on the rope and they tilt the device from side to side to help him balance on the rope as he walks. The further the player tilts, the faster he walks or the farther he leans to the side. What isn’t the same is the quality of the environments. In the original, environments were fairly bland. In TightRope Adventures, however, the environments are considerably more rich and detailed, although still not fully animated. Not that they player has much time to focus on their surroundings as they are trying to balance their character on the rope and save him from a long fall.
The absolute best part of this game is its sheer ridiculousness. The main character, though quite large, is very agile and performs hilarious dance moves upon the completion of each level. Watching the different dances, as well as the different tricks players can activate when they are doing particularly well and the equally comical falling animations is like finding fun little easter eggs over and over. They are varied and so entertaining. Even the indicator located in the upper left hand corner of the screen can be very funny as it shows the character’s face and reactions. There are almost no missed opportunities here as far as comedic value is concerned.
There are fifteen levels included in the game and each level is a different environment. After completing each level on foot, players can then go back and try them on a unicycle. Several other elements — such as batting away projectiles that threaten to knock the player down — keep the game from getting stale too quickly. The comic portions of this game are where it really shines, but the gameplay is enjoyable enough that it doesn’t feel like a chore to get to the laughs.