Spin webs to catch bugs in this delightful game

Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor scooped the award for the IGF Mobile iPhone Game of the Year – and it’s not hard to see why.

The delightful game sees you assume the role of a spider, who must explore an abandoned mansion in search of food. In order to catch your prey you need to spin webs to snare the bugs, in between scuttling along looking for secret rooms in the nooks and crannies of the house and its gardens. Once you’ve reached your quota of bugs caught, you’ll move onto the next level of Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor, but watch out because you only have so much silk you can spin.

The arachnid in Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor is not some gormless cartoon spider, but rather an excellently drawn, well-animated version of a real life garden spider. Likewise, all the flies and bugs look and sound like the real thing. At first, this might make you feel a little freaked out, and personally I was itchy for the first four or five levels. Once you get used to it though, Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor becomes an intriguing foray into the life of a spider. You will realize that not all of the bugs can be caught in the same way, and must devise cunning strategies to ensure that you make best use of your limited silk.

The controls system in Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor is flawless. Hold your finger on the screen and the spider will move towards it. Swipe the screen and the spider will jump. Tap the spider to anchor it then swipe to spin a web. The game also makes use of a two-finger zoom, something we don’t see enough of in iPhone games.

Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor is one of those games that you can completely lose yourself in. With four different game modes, 48 achievements and loads of secret areas to discover, you won’t get bored in a hurry. The soothing background music only adds to the allure of Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor.

Playing Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor will give you a vivid picture of what it’s like to live a bug’s life. Just make sure it doesn’t completely suck you away from the real world.

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