AVOIDER Review - Screenshot 1 of 2

RCMADIAX is a studio that has become well known for the relatively high volume of inexpensive titles that it's put out over the past couple of years. Their quality wavers from being barely worth their dollar price tag to being at least average games. AVOIDER is the latest entry in this line of titles, and while its rather barebones presentation will no doubt be a barrier to many, the gameplay is entertaining while it lasts.

Gameplay is just about as arcade-like as it gets; you control a white triangle on the touchscreen and avoid scores of red triangles that come in from three different sides of the screen. Your score is constantly ticking up until you inevitably get hit, and then you start it all over again. In all seriousness, that roughly captures the whole experience of AVOIDER, and it feels a bit unfinished as a result. For one thing, the triangles never speed up or come in increasingly more difficult waves. Additionally, they come from the top and the sides, but never the bottom.

AVOIDER Review - Screenshot 2 of 2

The problem here is that AVOIDER never feels like it's actually continuing or building up to anything. Once you've gotten into the rhythm of it and found a sweet spot, it's just a game of slightly moving your triangle when required. There's not a very significant sense of accomplishment when you've been doing the same thing - at the same speed - for ten minutes or so, and there'll inevitably be a point where it just doesn't feel worth one's time to try and beat a newly set high score that took you a while to achieve. If the enemy patterns mixed up or sped up after passing certain score thresholds, perhaps it would be more addictive; it's the lack of dynamic elements that ultimately lets it down.

That being said, AVOIDER does do a good job of initially grabbing the attention of the gamer. The enemy triangles are just quick enough and plentiful enough that your full attention is required in order to survive. Before the staleness sets in the experience could almost be described as exciting, as you bob and weave your way around dozens of enemies and the score continues to inch its way closer to the last high score you set.

Other than the gameplay itself, there's not a whole lot going on in terms of presentation. After the title screen and some brief instructions you get tossed into the main game, and that's it. Graphically speaking the white and red triangles are all displayed against a grid-like, black background; it's minimalistic and barebones, but it ultimately gets the job done. A catchy chiptune track plays on endless repeat in the background, and while it sounds pretty good for a while it can get to be pretty grating with repetition.

Conclusion

Ultimately, AVOIDER is a game where you'll get what you pay for; no more, no less. While the gameplay is relatively fun at first, it quickly gets tired when you realize it's a one-trick pony that doesn't have anything more to show you. For such a cheap price it's difficult to expect too much more from this kind of game, but it still feels like this could've used some polishing before being pushed out. We'd give this a general recommendation, but just bear in mind that your mileage will vary greatly.