Fly Kiwi, Fly Review

A kiwi is a flightless bird native to New Zealand. The average kiwi is about the size of a chicken, mates for life, and dreams endlessly about soaring to the final frontier. Okay, if you present Fly Kiwi, Fly! as scientific fact in your biology class, you're going to end up in summer school. Just sit back and enjoy the game for what it is: A goofy side-scrolling flight game for the iPhone and iPod Touch that's full of fun, personality, and the power of love and dreams.

Fly Kiwi, Fly! is the story of a little kiwi bird who wishes to fly across the world and beyond. Your job is to help him across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and into North America, where he'll latch onto a rocket, fly into space, and presumably die of asphyxiation.

How does one help a bird who's been denied the gift of flight? With a bit of skill and a lot of money. After your kiwi pal hurls himself off a cliff to learn the hard way that he doesn't have functional wings, his Grandpa starts him off right by strapping a kite to his back. From there, when Kiwi dives off his cliff, you use the iDevice's tilt function to help him glide as far as possible before gravity does the inevitable.

Needless to say, Kiwi's lowly kite won't fly him halfway across the world. But by performing successful tricks, unlocking achievements, visiting new countries, and collecting moneybags that are inexplicably suspended in the sky, he can earn money for necessary upgrades. These include improved gliders and rocket-boosters, as well as high-tech launch pads like the ACME cannon. Kiwi can also purchase upgrades that will improve his speed, lower the fuel consumption of his rocket-boosters, and increase the height of his launchpad.

The graphics in Fly Kiwi, Fly! are clean and cute, and the sound is great too, though some variance for the in-game music would have been appreciated. There are only a couple of notable songs, and they're overused. The tilt physics are accurate (make sure to visit the options menu and adjust them according to whether you're holding your device vertically or horizontally), and the game is highly addictive. Kiwi's flight skill matters just as much as his equipment, and you're constantly pushed to go a little further, and then just a liiiiittle further...

Sadly, the fun doesn't last long. Fly Kiwi, Fly! is a short game with little replay value. You can go back and unlock the different achievements, but doing so isn't very exciting, especially if you've maxed out all your upgrades. But Fly Kiwi, Fly! is worth your time, if only to let a ground-bound bird experience the joy of flight just once.