I found a new iPhone game today. Actually, it's been on the app store since
2011, but it 's news to me. The game is called Swing Tennis, by Head First
Communications. Where Lolrific tennis and Blindfold tennis fall short, this
picks up the slack. I hav en't figured it all out yet, which is why I haven't
posted to Applevis, but...
First, you can play over Game Center. No more being limited to a WiFi
connection for a good game of audio tennis.
Second, there are three difficulty levels, and easy is actually a bit difficult.
Third, though it's strictly timing based like other audio tennis apps for the
iPhone, its rules are stricter--a lot stricter, so you have to have
split-second timing.
Fourth, both you and your opponent have power-ups you can use. Don't get
comfortable, because as soon as you think you've got the rhythm down, in comes
a fast ball. I haven't exactly figured out how to use the power-ups and various
swings yet.
Fifth, each level has nine computer opponents on single player, each with
different skills and strategies.
Sixth, the game allows you to chat with your opponent. Kind of interesting,
though you have to pause the game to do it.
The game play itself is simple. Just swing your iPhone like a tennis racket.
The weird thing is that you have to be touching your screen to do this, with
Voiceover off. Even the lightest movement might be construed as a swing, so be
careful! I suspect that since it's an audio game for the sighted, not tailored
for the blind, there may be special places to touch if you want certain swings,
power-ups and so on. I don't think this will be too hard to learn however. Yes,
sighted people are learning about audio games at last. Now if we can just
convince them to make them accessible...
Speaking of accessibility, the tutorial isn't accessible at all, and the game
starts with a bunch of unlabeled buttons. All of these, save one, are dimmed,
and the undimmed one is the one to click each time. It takes about three
minutes of clicking around to get through the tutorial, but once you're past
that everything's accessible except whatever might be on the screen during
actual game play. I'll try to get help with that aspect tonight and post about
what I find.
The game also has an extra game to unlock, called ball bounce, but this, sadly,
is inaccessible. However, the game is definitely worth the $.99 price tag.
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