Happy Tree Friends: Slap Happy
Score: 78% ESRB: Not Rated Publisher: Publisher X Developer: Code Glue Media: Download/1 Players: 1 Genre: Simulation
Graphics & Sound: Happy Tree Friends: Slap Happy isn't a game, per se. Instead it is an app that lets you do quite a variety of evil things to Cuddles, and that is exactly what fans of this show would expect from an iPhone app bearing the Happy Tree Friends logo. Slap Happy presents a large Cuddles (the yellow bunny) that takes up about 2/3 of the screen leaving space above for a slide out menu that presents a small array of evil things to do to this particular Tree Friend. Cuddles himself looks good, and even when he gets beaten up, the gory version of his image comes through in detail. I will say right from the start that the screenshots we chose for this review are some of the more mild ones we obtained. This is a family-friendly website, and we felt it best not to show some of the more gruesome things you can do to Cuddles. Sound is okay, but not spectacular. Cuddles gives off his various oofs and umphs as you toss him about the screen, and even gives the occasional holler as you slice him or crush him. Of course, there is a fair amount of blood splatter sound effects during some of these actions as well. While the music in the Menu is very much Happy Tree Friends, the lack of any background tunes while Cuddles is on the screen is somewhat disturbing. Either way, it's probably best that the crazy and frantic sounds that make up the show's title song aren't constantly present while torturing Cuddles.
Gameplay: Happy Tree Friends: Slap Happy is an odd sandbox to play in. The software gives you a few ways to interact with Cuddles, and none of them are nice. As the name suggests, you can use your finger to simply slap the bunny around, but the iPhone/iPod Touch's motion sensing capabilities means you can also shake the device around and watch the little guy go flying around the screen and bouncing off the side of the display. With enough physical damage, Cuddles will start to show quite a bit of wear and tear, and eventually he simply won't get up again. Slap Happy provides two forms of resuscitation. If the little guy has simply been beaten up a whole lot, you can select the CPR option which requires you to push down on his mid-section in an attempt to breathe life back into him. The other option is to select the lightning bolt and send the rabbit into a bit of electroshock therapy. The other forms of torture this app presents involve crushing him between two metal blocks filled with spikes, dropping a pipe down his throat and cutting him in half with a hedge trimmer. With these forms of demise, the only way to bring Cuddles back is to use the electricity. The only other real aspect to Happy Tree Friends: Slap Happy is the ability to change the background picture. This seems like little more than an afterthought though, since all of the rooms look the same, just with different wallpapers.
Difficulty: Hmm... difficulty ... well since the goal of Happy Tree Friends: Slap Happy is to put Cuddles through a massive amount of torture, bring him back and do it all again, I would have to say the app isn't all that difficult. It's quite easy to torment the bunny in various ways, and just as easy to resuscitate him and start all over. Of course, the idea of an app of this style being difficult would completely go against its point, since Slap Happy isn't a game, its just "play." The need for making it challenging doesn't make sense. In fact, the opposite is true, since the app isn't designed to be a challenge, and is very easy to perform the various forms of torture it offers, then the easier the better. There isn't any response or timing issue that could get in the way, so the lack of difficulty is actually a good thing here.
Game Mechanics: Happy Tree Friends: Slap Happy does a pretty good job presenting a nice little assortment of ways to torment Cuddles, and while it is all easy to do and fun to watch, the main problem with Slap Happy is that you can do pretty much everything it has to offer in a few minutes. Granted, you will most likely want to do it all again as you show your equally demented friends the App, but even then, it is a short experience. What would be nice is if future updates to this App would include other characters to have fun with, or other things to do to them. I guess since the App itself is so very cheap, you can't really complain about not getting your money's worth, but I'm also sure that fans who would download this program would also like to see a lot more than just one Happy Tree Friend getting tormented in only four or five ways. Happy Tree Friends: Slap Happy is an interesting application that can bring some perverse enjoyment to those already familiar with the show, and at $0.99, it is definitely priced as an impulse buy for those same people (like most Apps). The only major complaint I would say even the most devoted Happy Tree Friends fans would have is the lack of variety. While it is (darkly) amusing, you will quickly go through everything Slap Happy has to offer. Who knows though, future updates of this App could result in new characters, more things to do to Cuddles or a greater variety in backgrounds. If that happens, then the cheap price attached to Slap Happy would be an even better deal and even more enjoyable to those who know the web series.
-J.R. Nip, GameVortex Communications AKA Chris Meyer
Related Links: Official Happy Tree Friends Home Page
Polar Panic Polar Panic