In Escape From NOM, your goal is to drop Alan, the little blob, from the top of the screen to the water at the bottom without being eaten by the hungry NOMs. You’ll need to figure out how to get past the obstacles by placing tools around the level to help you. It’s not an original concept, but it’s still fun, and definitely worth checking out.
Your little blob character, Alan, always starts at the top of the screen. You can tap on him to slide him left and right, or use the wheel to fine-tune your aim. Alan needs to be the same color as the water when he’s dropped in in order to win the level. If he’s a different color at the top, you can place special tools around the level that will change his color when he hits them. If there are obstacles in the way, there are other tools, such as springs, that may be placed to get Alan to safety. There are also several coins that can be collected for additional points.
When lining Alan up for the drop, the screen will show you the trajectory of his bounce when he hits an object. So, the puzzle aspect comes in when you have to figure out what angle is best to bounce off an object so Alan hits the other objects accurately. In some cases, a small miscalculation means the difference between earning extra coins and being eaten by a giant NOM.
One really nice feature in this game is the level editor. You can create your own level to be played and shared with friends.
There are only two issues I had with this app. First, the graphics are not yet optimized for the iPhone 4’s retina display. Second, the load times for each level are just a bit too long, so it becomes annoying. Other than that, the gameplay is solid and really does make for a fun game. I strongly recommend checking this one out.
