Few games have garnered as much mainstream media attention as Flappy Bird, and for good reason; its design is comically simple yet unforgivingly difficult. In the wake of Flappy’s demise, there have been countless clones and imitations looking to capitalize on the app’s wild popularity, and some have succeeded. Despite the madness, I never got all that hooked on Flappy Bird. I never played it obsessively. And I never scored above a meager 32 pipes.
Still, I craved a mobile time sink while everyone else was hooked, and finally found one when a friend showed me a humble little iPhone game called Dodgy: Zero. It’s a game steeped longer perhaps in Jetpack Joyride than anything else, but definitely shares Flappy Bird’s simplicity and charm. It also has a cobbled-together, homemade feel to it, which I find incredibly endearing.
As a result, I’ve been super hooked on Dodgy: Zero, and despite an only slightly above average top score, I’m actively seeking ways to improve it. Beyond that, I want to see how the damn thing ends; there’s reason to believe it actually has a finite ending, and I’m keen to at least get close.
Considering it’s simplicity, addictiveness, charm, and cost (free), there’s little reason not to give this game a download. Here are my top reasons why.