I’ve always thought a big part of the appeal of the drinking game “Quarters” was, well, the drinking part. So the idea of the game coming to the iPhone as an app seemed curious to me.
And while I was skeptical at first, Incredible Technologies’ iQuarters ($1.99) comes off as a pretty fun iPhone game, whether or not you’re a fan of the game, or even if you’ve ever played it before.
The game includes both single-player and multi-player modes, the latter of which supports up to four people. In both modes, you advance through levels by making three shots, and you can miss 40 times before your game is over.
It can be a really easy game, especially in early levels. Often times you are given three glasses to get the quarter in and, though there are obstacles beginning in Level 2, they’re not that hard to avoid.
But the best part of iQuarters is that you have options in terms of how you attack the game. Your main goal is to score as many points as possible, but you can do this by either taking the safe shoots, or by bouncing the quarter off things such as bobbleheads, lighters, cell phones and wine bottles to get ricochet bonuses.
That leads me to another highlight of the game — its environments. Not only do the levels look nice, but there seems to be a good deal of effort put into making them unique and challenging, adding replay value to a game which needs it.
As far as controls go, this game is solid but not spectacular. At the beginning of each shot, the quarter is shown floating above the table, and you make a flick motion to send the quarter flying.
While there does seem to be some sensitivity levels – i.e. quicker and more exaggerated motions will send the quarter farther – the real control comes from the angle options you are given. You can choose between angles of 45 and 55 degrees, and mastering this aspect of the game is the real challenge.
iQuarters has 12 levels, which is a little light and could stand to be increased. Still, the ones that are included are clever and, for the most part, well thought out.
The game’s title is almost a shame, because it will really appeal more to casual gamers than it will to frat boys who think the idea of playing a drinking game on their iPhone is hilarious. There was clearly a good deal of effort put into iQuarters, and it shows in every aspect of this quality game.
