I grew up on Clerks and Mallrats and will always hold Kevin Smith’s series of films close to my heart. Clerks and Mallrats were the first films that made me realize just how messed up the world really was and that there’s always a light side after the heaping piles of crap life tends to leave on your doorstep. Ice Cap Games’ series of titles based on Kevin Smith’s View Askewniverse gave me a similar epiphany and showed me how lazy iOS design can be, and their latest travesty called Let Us Dance!, is a turd I wish I could flush out of recent memory.
Let Us Dance !is yet another rhythm game for iOS. Fans of the rhythm genre know what to expect from the gameplay in Let Us Dance. Four colored icons float across the sheet music emitting from Silent Bob’s boom box and the player is tasked with pushing the matching buttons when the icons are within the designated target zone. Much like in Guitar Hero, preforming well triggers Hype Mode. Hype Mode is instantly activated once your music bar is filled and it gives you extra points for each button you press correctly. This type of gameplay formula compliments games with a hearty soundtrack and on-screen action that’s fun to watch for both players and spectators. Unfortunately, Let Us Dance! has neither of those traits.
Dance, monkey, dance!
The soundtrack consists of three unmemorable lyric-less jazz songs that sound about the same. The tracks are called Coolin’ Off, Torque Wrench, and Tomorrow Knows. The titles aren’t even humorous or a nod to iconic songs. They all sound like they were ripped from a stock polytonic ringtone from the 90’s. There’s nothing special about them and the gameplay would almost benefit without them, as the beats do not match up with the button presses. Jay’s dance moves are universal and don’t change depending on what track is playing. The lack of variety in the game makes the game a pain to play on every level.
The graphics are identical to those in Jay and Silent Bob in Too Fat to Fly. Jay and Silent Bob look like paper cutout versions of themselves. While the art style is starting to grow on me, I feel the cutesy versions of the foul-mouthed stoners are completely out of character and not what someone wants in a Jay and Silent Bob game. I was hoping Ice Cap Games would mix things up with each View Askewniverse entry in the SMcade series of iOS games, but it’s looking like Kevin Smith fans can only expect unoriginal rehashed games from them.
The uninspired and lazy design that went into Let Us Dance! is reminiscent of an entry-level game designer trying to become successful overnight by copying successful franchises, only to realize that their games have none of the qualities that made their competition’s games successful. In spite of that they still decided to release it anyway for a quick buck. If you are excited about your favorite stoners finally having a video game of their own, don’t be. Both Too Fat to Fly and Let Us Dance! proves that Jay and Silent Bob are meant for the big screen and not for your pants.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prhWD-iXxzg
