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Flick Lacrosse
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Game Review: Flick Lacrosse LITE

Welcome to another mobile game review! Over the Summer we took a look at Brine Hotshot, and today we have a similar game: Flick Lacrosse LITE from Crosse Studios. This game is very similar to Brine Hotshot in terms of the game’s concept. Just like Hotshot, you shoot the ball at targets and try to get the highest score possible. The similarities end there, though. In this game, there is only one level, no extra gear, and no in-game leader boards…but in the end it turns out to be the the more fun game when you just pick up and play. How is that possible you ask? Read on to find out!

Setup/Navigation… +2

The home menu screen (shown below) is incredibly simple. You have two options: press start (the big giant play button) or go to Crosse Studio’s Lacrosse 14 Kickstarter page. You can also connect to Apple’s GameCenter to compare scores with other players, but this happens through the GameCenter app. So yes, while there isn’t an “in-game” leader board, you still have the option to compare scores with other people through Apple’s system. Outsourcing the leader boards may seem like a negative to some, but for me, it just keeps the in-game setup incredibly easy.

Flick Lacrosse
Simple and easy menu screen.

Gameplay: +2

Like I said before, there are no levels or extra gear you can acquire, yet this game is really fun. Again, the simplicity of the game shines. You flick, shoot the ball at the target, get more points for hitting closer to the center of the target, and build up score multipliers the more targets you hit in a row. The clock lasts 60 seconds no matter what you do, and it’s so fun because you can just pick it up and play whenever you want a quick break from the real world. In game is also simple – you either shoot or press pause, and when you press pause you have the option of un-pausing, going to the home menu, or restarting the game. After the game ends, you can either go to the home menu or restart. Keeping it simple does the trick here!

There are few very minor kinks in the game that are worth mentioning, but aren’t distracting enough to affect the gameplay. Because of that, I’m not going to deduct any points here. The first issue is that the first few times I played, I was taken by surprise when the game started. Once you click the play button and the game loads, a screen opens explaining how to play. After a few seconds, the game just starts without warning. You get used to this after playing a few times, so it doesn’t bother me anymore. The second issue is that the clock always seems to start at 58 seconds. I’m assuming it has to do with my phone being slow, though, and I’m not too upset by this. Lastly, I think that instruction screen right before the game starts is a little misleading. It says you get time added to the clock for hitting the center of the targets, but in reality you don’t ever get more than 60 seconds of gameplay. You do however get more time on your score multiplier clock. Again, not a big deal and it doesn’t actually affect the gameplay, just a bit vague in the description.

Flick Lacrosse
Target smashing lacrosse ball shooting fun at its finest.

Controls… +1.5

The best part about this game is the high level of consistency for the controls. I know where I’m aiming pretty much every time. I say “pretty much every time,” and not “every time,” because once and awhile my player drops the ball. That isn’t me using an expression – he drops the ball out of his stick once and a while. I’d say the shooting is consistent nine times out of ten, though, so it still gets a +1.5 for controls.

Visuals… +1.5

This game does exactly what it’s supposed to as far as visuals. It’s pretty good, not amazing, but more than gets the job done. I love that you actually see the player shooting the ball, as opposed to just seeing the stick. The player looks realistic as far as how a lacrosse player would look in pads and a helmet, and there’s a nice nod to Syracuse and the legendary #22. The field looks like a field should, the fans are a little elementary looking but on par with other arcade-style games, and the ads for the (unfortunately failed) Kickstarter campaign look great.

Flick Lacrosse
This game is full of advertisements for the (unfortunately now failed) console game Kickstarter.

Music/Audio… +Null

This category gets a Null score because I never have the game music on while I’m playing this game. It has the obligatory whipping sound affect when you shoot the ball, the targets make a breaking sound when you hit them, and the crowd cheers throughout. But I wouldn’t know any of that if I wasn’t writing this review, and went out of my way to listen to the game audio. The sound effects are fine, but overall unimportant to the game.

Overall… 7/8

Seven out of eight may seem like a high score, but Flick Lacrosse LITE definitely deserves it. It has everything I want in a mobile game: it has simple set up, is easy to play, has consistent controls, and I can just start playing for a minute burst of fun (or more than that, as I often play game after game!) whenever I want. I’ve played a lot of mobile games and seen them come and go from my normal rotation, but I honestly see this one staying around as one of the few I consistently play.

Flick Lacrosse LITE can be downloaded on Apple and Google devices. Check out the game’s Facebook page for more information about the game.