Magmic’s Wave Crasher is simply fun, but a little lackluster

Wave Crasher is the newest original game from my old friends at Magmic. This developer is best known for bringing licensed content (see Rubik’s Cube, Phase 10, Miner 2049er) to the iPhone, so any time they create a brand new game from the ground up, it’s exciting.

Basically, you’re playing as Ryder, a pro jet skier who rides waves collecting coins and scoring multipliers. What’s cool about this game is that it allows you to import your existing music on your iPhone, and the waves are generated using the beat and tempo of your music. Instead of controlling the rider, however, you control the height of the waves by swiping up or down to move your rider around.

The object of the game is to collect as many coins and score as many multipliers as possible before the song is over and the level ends. So that means that there really isn’t any fail mechanic, and you could be playing the same level for upwards of three or four minutes. It doesn’t seem like a long time, but when the only thing you have to do is collect coins, it can get a little monotonous and lackluster in the challenge department.

If you don’t have your own music on your phone, Wave Crasher has some built-in features which allow you to purchase songs from iTunes. It’s also got a “Featured Artist” option that has a couple of free songs available from a specific artist.

What I really like about the game is the artwork. It’s super well done, and the amount of time and effort poured into how the game looks is very apparent. It looks great on the iPhone’s Retina display, and it allows the game to fit in with current generation animated games.

What I don’t like about the game is the gravity mechanic. It just feels off to me. Any time you swipe the wave up to catch the coins near the top of the screen, it seems to take the rider an eternity to get back down. So you’re just kind of hanging out in midair, missing all kinds of coins. I’d like to see something like a plunge button that would allow you to dive back down to the bottom of the screen. Or just something that would allow for a little more control of the rider.

Overall, the game isn’t terrible, and it’s worth checking out. It seems to have a lot of potential, so I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of improvements Magmic can make to the game. It’s available on the App Store for $0.99 right now, so go check it out.

Elle is a writer from Ottawa, Canada. The time she doesn't spend writing is often spent photographing her cat.