It might not have the polish and street cred of “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2,” but that doesn’t mean Donut Games has packed any less extreme into its latest Ratty adventure.
Following in the tradition of Rat on the Run and Rat on a Scooter, Rat on a Skateboard delivers exactly what its title promises. Fans of the series will immediately recognize Donut Games’ straightforward simplicity -- pixel art, 2D graphics, effortless controls -- and newcomers will delight in its negligible learning curve; just tap to jump, olly over obstacles, and perform midair tricks.
What’s most enticing about Ratty’s world is its unpredictability. Where most side-scrolling games offer a constant stream of repetitive enemies and save points, Rat on a Skateboard’s “levels” are actually randomly generated courses with ever-changing pitfalls, stairs, basketballs, and banana peels to dodge, along with stars and pizza slices to collect. High scores (lifetime and daily) are saved, which is good because there’s no other way to chart your progress.
The bottom line. Just because there aren’t any bosses to defeat or plot lines to follow doesn’t make Rat on a Skateboard any less addictive. Quite the contrary, in fact.
iPhone or iPod touch with iOS 2.2.1 or later
Easy to learn. Addictive gameplay. Randomly generated levels are different each time.
No Game Center leaderboards.
