‘Solar Walk’ Review
Intro
Rarely do I come across a game that truly wows me, however, Solar Walk fits into this category. When the developer emailed me to ask if I could review his app I wasn’t so enthusiastic if I’m honest. Boy was I wrong.
Gameplay 9/10
Looking up info on Uranus (that sounds sicker and sicker the more I think about it).
Solar Walk is a 3D solar system model. That may not sound all that exciting, but what this app allows you to do is literally explore our solar system. Navigate your way to your favorite planets and find out interesting facts about them.
The planets are aligned by the current time, however, you can speed up time to see all of the planets in action using the time setting at the top right. What you do is tap either the year, day, hour or minute. This converts that time frame into the equivalent of a second (for example if you tapped year, a year would go by every second), the planets therefore move accordingly. It’s great watching the solar system work, either on a large scale with all planets in view, or on a small scale, watching the moons spin around the earth. You can also use the slider at the side fast forward and rewind time how you like.
Furthermore, you can gain information about each planet, moon or star by tapping the ‘i’ icon. This will bring up a load of interesting info about that object. Information includes ‘General Info’, ‘How that planet/moon/star go it’s name’, loads of statistical data like ‘Radius’ and ‘Length of Day’ to ‘Internal Structure’ to missions launched to explore that object’. There are massive amounts of information that will keep you busy for a long time. Don’t get me wrong here. I’m not some astronomical geek here, but I genuinely found an interest in reading such data.
Graphics 10/10
This is what makes this app so unique. When I thought of a ‘3D Solar System Model’ I thought it would either be laggy or look terrible. Remarkably, Solar Walk does neither of these things. The planets/moons/stars are beautifully presented with the suns light reflecting off the right side of the planet. The game also runs extremely smoothly with maybe a tiny bit of frame rate issues at certain points, but nothing that interrupts the experience.
The graphics are spectacular. Look at all that churning flame.
Controls 10/10
The navigation is perfect, and very much reminds me of the navigation in Google Earth. There is a button on the right at the bottom which centers you back on the sun from where you are. From there you can access all of the other planets by zooming out (pinch out) and looking from above. The controls are intuitive and you can easily got to where you want to go.
Sound 10/10
The music in Solar Walk is warm and minimalistic, which correctly links in with the theme of the app.
Menus N/A
There aren’t any menus. As soon as you open the app you are put straight back to where you where you left off.
Longevity 7/10
Granted, Solar Walk is a stunning piece of kit, and certainly something to flash off to your mates, but is it useful? The only reason I can think of using this is if you are revising for a science exam or if you are studying astronomy and you are looking for a reference guide on your iPhone about planets in our Solar System. If so, then this is the app for you. However, I don’t think there is enough interactivity (even though there is a ton of it) to really interest the average user. I would have liked to see more elements added that make the app more engaging and fun, yet still give out the same, explanatory information. This app won’t stay on my iPhone for long, despite the amazing graphics and smooth controls.
Look up information about every moon, planet and star in our Solar System.
Cost 6/10
$2.99/£1.79 is right for a user who will use and appreciate this app fully. However, for average user like myself, it is not worth it.
Conclusion 52/60 – 4/5/5
Solar Walk is the most innovative Solar System Encyclopaedia yet, and is perfect for all you budding astronomers out there, however, more engaging elements could make this a universal app for everyone, not just astronomy enthusiast.
