Eufloria HD Review (iPad)

Games can be simple, beautiful and strangely touching. Games such as Journey, Flower and the hordes of Molyjam projects are something we should be proud of, I could name a game on every console that fitted those categories except for one platform. The iPad. That is at least until I played Eufloria HD.

Previously released on PC and PS3, Eufloria HD now sits proudly on the App Store. With the iPad and it’s massive touch screen it’s a wonder it wasn’t ported here earlier. Eufloria tells the tale of a lost civilization desperately trying to find traces of those who came before. Travelling from planet to planet, colonising it and then moving on to the next.

Of course they face a vast amount of foes in the process but what would beauty be without resistance? Planets produce new soldiers who can be used to colonise other planets or even assigned as attack forces to take on the enemy head on. The end result of each level is a complex net of planets, each bustling with action to either generate energy or prepare a warforce.

It all sounds like standard RTS fare but Eufloria HD is far from standard. For one it’s easy to forget the story. This isn’t a bad thing it’s just that the often violent mechanics are made to seem calm and organic. Ships look like small particles, planets like cells, trees like veins spreading outwards and enemies like a malicious virus.

The complex net I spoke of resembles a living, breathing tree of life. Each cell supporting the other, sending nutrients backwards and forwards. What are you really doing here in Eufloria? Are you really discovering new planets or are you attempting to save a dying life force from extinction? With an equally meditative musical score it’s difficult not to be drawn into the experience on offer.

Take 10 minutes out of your busy life, sit down, plug in some headphones and download Eufloria HD to your iPad. 10 minutes will quickly turn into 30 and onwards into an hour. Entrancing. Entertaining. Elegant. Eufloria HD is a must buy, even at £2.99.

Out now on the App Store, Eufloria HD is available for iOS 4.2 or later, as well as on Windows and in the PlayStation Store.