iOS App of the Day: Slide to Unlock

Posted by Amy Eichelberg

Friday, April 20th, 2012

Sometimes it’s fun to just play a mind numbing game on your iPhone to pass the time while you’re waiting in line at McDonald’s or maybe while you’re stuck at your in-laws for spaghetti night. Either way, it appears that the creative minds at The Falco Initiative must have had the same mindset, as they created the obnoxious Slide to Unlock game for iOS. Yes, you guessed right, Slide to Unlock uses the same unlocking gesture that you use a hundred times a day on your iPhone to push a user’s competitive spirit into overdrive.

Pros:

Concept is so simple you are playing within seconds of downloading the app
Familiar easy to navigate interface
Uses OpenFeint network, you can see leader boards, find friends,and compare scores
Easy skill level required
Could be given to young children to play and pass time with

Cons:

More about endurance than actual skill
Becomes monotonous and feels more like a chore than a fun exciting game

How it Works:

There are 5 different game modes available on the dashboard. Slide to play classic, slide to play twist, slide to play doubles, slide to play revenge, and slide 4 achievements. I started with slide to play classic, which is your basic slide to the right as fast as you can. Boring. Slide to twist was slightly more challenging as you are alternating between sliding right and sliding left, which held my attention for all of 3 minutes. The next two options were about the same level of play, as the locks get faster and faster.

Overall the Slide to Unlock does not require much skill other than endurance as you tend to zone out while playing. I did enjoy its compatibility with the OpenFeint network, as competition always adds a little more incentive to stick with a game. I was surprised at just how many of my friends were actually quite accomplished in the leader boards at this particular game. Who knew sliding to unlock would be so enticing?

Oddly enough I tried the game out on my 2-year-old daughter and she took to it immediately. She’s very acclimated to iOS devices and was quite enamored with the app. That’s how simple this interface really is.

Conclusion: Slide to Unlock is ideal for anyone looking for a free gaming app that requires little to no thinking on the user end. While I had fun playing around with some of the “harder” options I got bored with this game after playing around with it for a few days. It’s been a good app for my toddler, so for that reason alone Slide to Unlock will be staying with me for a little while longer.