Sad armadillo is sad because he can't fly like the birds. He can run and roll, though, and with your help, he can do something remarkably close to flying! Dillo Hills by Fex Labs is a browser-based action arcade game similar to the iPhone release Tiny Wings. All you do in this simple physics-centric title is hold the [down] arrow key to dive towards the hills. When you hit terra firma you start to roll, coasting along the slopes to gain more and more speed. Release the button and soar high into the sky, picking up speed and traveling to distant lands in the process!
Happiness is equivalent to hang time in Dillo Hills, so naturally you'll want to stay in the air as long as you can to keep your 'dillo smiling and content. Happy armadillos move faster, too, so the more speed you have, the more speed you'll get, the higher jumps you'll make, etc. Smacking into the ground at an awkward angle makes 'dillo unhappy, so try not to do that, k? Keep your speed up and your airtime high and you'll eventually cross to new zones, featuring more birds to smack into, more gems to collect, and tougher hills to traverse.
Oh, and wait, what's this? Unlockables? Tons of them? Yup, you know it! Collecting diamonds from the slopes allows you to purchase ability upgrades in the shop available from the main menu. Simply click your way to the store and you can increase your drop speed, decrease damage taken, and more. You can also choose different non-armadillo characters to play as, including a turtle, a squirrel, and a penguin! You can even unlock a few hats to spiffy up your dress for your romp across the fields!
Dillo Hills doesn't innovate on any front, but it does provide a genuinely good browser gaming experience. Play it for the cute animals. Play it for the intense hill-sliding action. Play it because no matter how many times you try, you just can't get the drop timing down perfectly. Or, just play it because you can make a penguin wear a top hat.
I'm kind of disappointed in JiG for plugging such a blatant rip-off. Obviously, games borrow heavily from one another all the time, and the line between "inspired by" and "a direct copy of" can be blurry, but this is pretty clearly on the wrong side of that line.
Actually, there was a bit of discussion on the mailing list regarding whether or not this game falls into ripoff territory. This game's overall charm was a big point in its favor, though, as was the fact that Tiny Wings has no browser version.
Extremely addictive. Also, I'd agree with SonicLover - while it may be incredibly similar in concept, the fact that it's a browser version wins me over. :)
It's not even a ripoff of Tiny Wings. It, and Tiny Wings, are both blatant ripoffs of WaveSpark, by NMcCoy.
No, all those games copy Mighty Fin.
The concept isn't anything original, and as Vebyast mentioned, Tiny Wings didn't invent it, either. Dillo Hills does clone a lot of TW's features (and adds a few more), but like SonicLover said, we featured it because it's a browser game and not everyone has access to an iPhone. If Tiny Wings had a Flash version, it would be here.
This game is awesome. It's beyond awesome. It's... BE-AWESOME! :)
I think you have cause-and-effect reversed on the happiness front: happiness is equivalent to speed, not hang time -- when your speed is up in the blue, you gain happiness; when it's down in the yellow or below, you lose it; when it's green it stays the same. Faster speed means longer hang times, but hang time doesn't give you happiness by itself.
Yeah, it's similar to Tiny Wings. So what? PLENTY of games have been ripped off of others, kind of like Canabalt and Robot Unicorn Attack. Everyone argued about those two games, but that doesn't change that both are awesome.
Anyways, I absolutely adore the music in this game. Does anyone know where I can download it or something?
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