#appepic

At first glance, this may appear to be your typical Flappy Bird clone that somehow survived the death of the viral phenomenon. However, Ironpants manages to revive the addictive frustration of the instant classic with its own twist on the genre. Not only does Ironpants boast a set of querky, unlockable characters from Chickenpants to Discopants, it includes four different gameplay modes: Classic, Tap, Voice, and Survival.

  The default for gameplay is setting off as Ironpants in the “touch and hold” Classic mode, which is arguably more difficult than the “tap to jump” method found in Flappy Bird, making a high score that much more satisfying if you can fight the urge to throw your phone. The starting character, Ironpants, is very touchy to control, making navigation through each barrier a stressful escapade. Ironpants is very sensitive to rising and falling, so players must be wary with their touches. However, if the player can survive for 16 barriers, the much slower and arguably less stressful Chickenpants may be unlocked.

  Equipped with the addition of unlockable characters that *gasp* don’t require or even give players the option of spending their own money to get, Ironpants gives the player an achievable goal, outside the bragging rights of the high score. Each character has different speed and movement ratings, making gameplay with each new character a new experience. Couple that with addictive frustration, and this game has a very high replay value.

  Perhaps the funniest addition to this game is the Voice mode. Using the built-in microphone, players use their voice to navigate characters through the barriers in a similar manner to that of the Tap mode. The characters are very sensitive to sound, so any noise could completely throw a player off course.