Ava Airborne

I’M LIKE A BIIIIRD. Free with IAP | www.laserdog.co.uk

THE THING WE like most about Ava Airborne is the music. That’s not something we can often say for a mobile game. Some considerable effort was put into the soundtrack, making you feel as though you were truly an aeronaut, gliding or swinging through the clouds. It’s encouraging and inspiring, elevating this otherwise simplistic game above its peers.

But what is it? It’s an endless runner in the sky, essentially. You start off with a little glider — tapping the screen gives you a brief spurt of speed and lift, while releasing your finger sends you barrel-rolling or nose-diving down. This simple mechanic takes a little while to master, and you can increase your velocity by gliding through hoops, bouncing on hot air balloons, popping helium balloons or being shot through cannons. The skies start off fairly clear, but you’ll soon be introduced to lasers, pirate balloons and other nasties that will end your flight.

Of course, there’s a stash of collectibles that will upgrade your gear. We’d recommend giving the Yo-Yo a try, as this was immensely more enjoyable than the glider. Most of the other bonus treats you receive felt more like distractions to us than things to actually strive for, and there are a lot of them. We just wanted to get back to beating our own score and projecting Ava through the air! Luckily, you can do that just fine.