THE STORY

Part test of skill and judgement, part damning indictment of the terrible abuse of the planet, the death of the natural eco-system and the ‘scorched-earth’ policy still employed by some multi-nationals, seen through the sad, but survivalist eyes of a lone bird. Or it could just be a test of skill and judgement. Sometimes I read too much into things…

THE EXPERIENCE

Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best; like combining shampoo and conditioner so that you only have to take one bottle into the shower. Which is what we have here in the flapping form of Leyenda, a side scrolling platform gamer comprising a bright burning backdrop, a contrastingly stark, monochrome foreground and the simplest interface interaction.

You play the eponymous animal of the piece, a bird bidding to escape the burning devastation that lies all around by running, jumping and flying to freedom. Why not just fly? Well, life is just not that easy and, if it was, this would be a rubbish game. No, impaired by some kind of body/wing size/gravity issue, Leyenda can only keep airborne for limited periods before the energy drain sends him/her plummeting back to the smouldering soil. The trick is, therefore, to time your tapping to take off at precisely the right moment, weighing up whether to just jump or flap to go further as the randomly generated terrain slides by beneath.

Challenging, rewarding and frustrating in equal measure, then, few free apps offer this level of relentless entertainment.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Simple, striking and utterly addictive, this bird may not be angry, but the gameplay challenge offered here is just as furious. Stylish, slick and ample amounts of fun, Leyenda is an app that’s about to become as hot as the landscape it attempts to escape.

Additional information

Current version: 1.1
Requires Android 2.2 and up

Download the Leyenda app from Google Play

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