MANOS - The Hands of Fate by FreakZone Games

(4.8/5) MANOS - The Hands of Fate for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad is an amazing retro action/platformer game. You play as Mike, the head of a family. You must traverse through deserts, inns, caves, etc. and defeat the small boss at the end of every stage. You start with 5 lives, and each time you run out of health or fall off a cliff, you lose one. Once you lose all of your lives, you start back at stage one. That's right, if you lose all of your lives, you don't start at the beginning of the stage, but at the beginning of the entire game. This is a turn-off, but luckily MANOS is amazing enough to make me want to keep trying. MANOS's graphics are stunning. As a person who adores pixel art, MANOS amazed me. The art is most likely the best of its kind on iOS. The chiptunes remind me of games such as Link's Awakening, an amazing (and old) Game Boy game. As for the controls, it's quite simple. Two arrows for movement, a button for jumping, and a button for shooting. There are a variety of guns to use in the game, my personal favorite being the shotgun. Occasionally, during the game, you will find hands. These hands can contain hearts that restore health or gems that give you points. In order to receive these items, you must shoot the hands. Some hands will flash multiple colors. These special hands are the titular "Hands of Fate". If touched, they increase your health by one hit. MANOS - The Hands of Fate is my current favorite retro action platformer, with great graphics and sound, that I can recommend to anyone. MANOS - The Hands of Fate is available on the app store for $1.99. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/manos-the-hands-of-fate/id538802870?ls=1&mt=8