Harry the Fairy Review

Posted by Dan Lee on March 15th, 2012
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad

Developer: Chillingo
Price: $0.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0
Device Reviewed On: iPad

Graphics / Sound Rating: starstarstarstarblankstar
Game Controls Rating: starstarstarhalfstarblankstar
Gameplay Rating: starstarstarstarblankstar
Replay Value Rating: starstarstarhalfstarblankstar

[rating:overall]

Harry the Fairy sees the player guide Harry through 28 beautifully crafted levels in order to rescue his fairy friends. Sadly the experience is over fairly quickly, but it’s fun while it lasts.

The goal of every level in Harry the Fairy is to reach the caged fairy, who is hidden somewhere, and release them. Initially players are offered two control methods which have been optimised for either the iPod Touch/iPhone, or iPad. The iPad control scheme takes advantage of the big screen and uses a virtual control stick to move Harry around, while it’s suggested that iPod/iPhone users try the tilt option. Either option is easy to use, although my personal preference is the control stick method.

The game starts off fairly easy, in order to gently introduce the player to how Harry handles. Seeing as how he’s a fairy, Harry flies everywhere and as such players have to take into account the floaty nature of the controls. Stopping and turning isn’t instantaneous, and there’s a split second delay to contend with.

Fairly quickly the player is introduced to a number of dangers that will plague Harry throughout his adventure. Drills are the most common, along with pneumatic rods. The environment can also be dangerous, with lava making an appearance, as well as wind machines that can push Harry into trouble.

Some light puzzles also need to be solved to reach the end of a level, and these are well designed and can span multiple tiers. They normally involve opening up or blocking paths to guide through a barrel, which will break through a barrier.

Visually, despite a lot of similar looking levels, Harry the Fairy is a treat. The music is also ridiculously catchy, and will stick in the player’s head for hours at a time. Is that a good thing? Perhaps not!

The only real negative I can find is that the game is over far too quickly. Most of the levels don’t pass the four minute mark, and the average gamers won’t find them overly challenging. There is a scoring system in place to try and get the player to replay levels, but I’m not sure if that will work.

Even if the game is a bit on the short side, there’s no denying how enjoyable Harry the Fairy is to play, listen to and look at.

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iPhone Screenshots

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Harry the Fairy screenshot 1 Harry the Fairy screenshot 2 Harry the Fairy screenshot 3 Harry the Fairy screenshot 4 Harry the Fairy screenshot 5

iPad Screenshots

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Harry the Fairy screenshot 6 Harry the Fairy screenshot 7 Harry the Fairy screenshot 8 Harry the Fairy screenshot 9 Harry the Fairy screenshot 10
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