It's a testament to how fast things move in the mobile world that 2014 already feels like a different era. Cast your mind back to the time we were still coming off Flappy Bird[1], a phenomenon that inspired a truck-load of one-button games[2], and Timberman[3] was one of the better ones, with some people even calling it the 'next' Flappy Bird. We disagreed[4] with that premise, but enjoyed the game, and as it turns out, the developer has been at it over the years making a number of other one-button games.
Its latest, Timber West, released recently and is available for free on both iOS[5] and Android[6]. We decided to try it out, and it turns out that there is a lot to like about this game. It feels very much like a throwback to that era in mobile gaming, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. There is a fair amount of monetisation via IAP and ads in the game, but it's still more restrained than we see in more "modern" titles. The game also retains the chunky pixellated look of Timberman, with a simple one-button interface that's extremely easy to learn, and near impossible to master.
It reminds us of the long time we spent - some would say wasted - playing both Flappy Bird and Timberman, and although the concept felt played out by the time the craze died down in 2014, in today's landscape, it's a refreshing change that is quite enjoyable if you are gaming in short spurts.
Here's how it works. You play as a cowboy (or cowgirl, or trapper, or barmaid - the list is pretty long actually, but...