3 stars

Crossy Road; Hipster Whale; November 20, 2014; Android and Apple; free

The first thing that a user of the app Crossy Road sees on the screen is a pixilated chicken and a whale. The app is reminiscent of the classic game Frogger and is just as addicting.

Crossy Road starts out with an average chicken pawn and the player has the challenge of swiping the chicken across dangerous roads filled with cars and across treacherous rivers. This might not seem very difficult, but it’s all done under the watchful eye of an eagle. The eagle soars above, waiting to see if the player takes too long before it swoops down to capture its next victim.

As the game continues, the player can collect coins and win more characters. There are a wide variety of characters to win throughout the game such as a black cat, a ballin’ basketball player and an emo goose. With each character, the game adapts to the landscape the pawn would naturally be in. For example, a koala would be put in a desert like Australia, and a goat would be put in grasslands. The characters can be won using coins earned in the game or can be bought for 99 cents.

The old-school atmosphere of the game makes it fun to play, but it also has drawbacks. The app is glitchy at times, making the character’s reaction time slower and making it harder for the user to play well.

Crossy Road is a satisfyingly addicting game. It’s a good way to pass the time and is enjoyable for all age groups.