Swap an adorable bird for a rotund balloon-shaped guy and some rainbow-colored hills for long waterslides, and you get Big Kahuna Waterpark Racing with Waterslide Kana’i (out now, $1.99). But while the game is reminiscent of Tiny Wings, it does offer some notable differences.
The controls are basically the same, but with one addition: You are to tap rapidly to kick-start your slide or when you’re stuck struggling uphill. Also, instead of a sun chasing you, you’ve got to worry about getting bowled over by waterslide riders in carts. You get a bit of respite though, with three lives.
Big Kahuna Waterpark Racing offers a bunch of game modes. The first four levels, which range from easy to hard, offer a fixed number of slides. If you wish, you can also select single slides to race on. Park Tour takes you through all the slides (which I presume are at the waterpark, Big Kahuna). If you don’t manage to get through all these slides, it’ll feel pretty close to the endless gameplay you’re used to in Tiny Wings. For true endless play, there’s Survival mode.
Despite the many game modes, Big Kahuna Waterpark Racing might start to feel monotonous after a while, because the slides don’t look all that different despite the change of incline and color. The music sounds repetitive too even though the soundtrack’s supposed to include three songs. Overall, the game lacks the charm of Tiny Wings. Also, for a game with racing in the title, it’s a huge pity it’s lacking a multiplayer mode, whether online or local. You can only race against your own time scores. There isn’t even a Game Center leaderboard.
iFanzine Verdict: Big Kahuna Waterpark Racing with Waterslide Kana’i is a pleasant variation of Tiny Wings, but lacks the same charm. It would be a lot more fun if an online multiplayer mode were introduced.