The Adventures of Tintin: The Game

The Adventures of Tintin: The Game
(Developed by Gameloft)
Available for: iOS, Android
Price: $4.99 for iOS, $6.99 for Android

First introduced in 1929, Belgian artist Hergé's heroic boy reporter Tintin ranks among the most enduring and popular fictional creations of the 20^th century. A favorite of fine artists including Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, the long-running Adventures of Tintin is regularly cited as a major turning point in European graphic storytelling; collected translations of the original comic strip have been published in more than 50 languages, with sales in excess of 200 million. Over time, Tintin's exploits expanded beyond the printed page into radio, television and the stage, and in late 2011, director Steven Spielberg and producer Peter Jackson finally released their much-anticipated feature film adaptation The Adventures of Tintin, updating the franchise for the IMAX age. Movie tie-in applications and games rarely add much value to their original source material, but Gameloft's The Adventures of Tintin sets a standard that the film (which I haven't yet seen) will be hard-pressed to match.

Basing its photo-realistic animations on the same performance-capture technology powering Spielberg's feature, the mobile game creates a stunningly immersive 3D world that pays tribute to Tintin's two-dimensional origins while bringing the character and his supporting cast into the digital age. Playing as Tintin, his loyal dog Snowy and friends like Captain Haddock, gamers solve puzzles, fight villains and collect rewards while making their way through vividly rendered settings like the SS Karaboudjan and Marlinspike Mansion. Like Hergé's original stories, The Adventures of Tintin: The Game is family-friendly but never saccharine, expertly blending action, comedy and mystery to deliver touch-enabled gaming on par with the best the App Store and Android Market have to offer. It's a worthy addition to the Tintin canon and legacy.