Just Hot Air is a golf-styled game for Windows Phone 8 that has you knocking around a small creature instead of a golf ball with the courses laid out more like a game of putt-putt golf.
It is an odd sort of game in that each hole or level of play has a limited number of strokes (known as kicks in the game) and if you go over the limit, the little creature explodes much like a balloon filled with too much hot air. Graphics are nice, game play challenging but there just seems to be something missing with Just Hot Air to get it over the hump and be a rather attractive Windows Phone game.
Instead of an 18 hole round of golf, Just Hot Air is a multi-level game with each hole representing a level. You currently have twenty-one levels of play and two little creatures to kick around.
Just Hot Air's Gaming Levels
Game settings are available from the levels menu and cover graphic quality and sounds. Along with setting the music/sound effects levels, you can set the graphics to high, medium, or low as well as customizing the level of detail for the game.
Just Hot Air Settings
With each level, the goal is to kick your creature into the hole within the set number of kicks. To kick a creature, just tap on the creature and drag your finger back to set the power of your kick and aim. When all is set, release your finger. The fewer kicks it takes to sink the creature into the hole, the higher your score.
Just Hot Air's Overhead View
Your point total for each level is displayed at the top center of the screen and a directional icon is in the upper right corner that will display an overhead view of the entire hole. The number of kicks you have available will be displayed in the bottom right corner and will vary based on the complexity of the level.
Levels have various challenges to keep things interesting such as sand traps, lava traps and barricades to bounce your shot from. The current levels are beach themed, which includes a vast ocean that you need to avoid as well.
Just Hot Air Sandtrap
Overall, Just Hot Air is a decent Windows Phone game and has potential. The 3D graphics aren’t shabby and the levels are challenging enough to keep the game from going stale but, I could not help but feel as though something was missing. The game does have a slight children’s game feel to it that may water the game down a bit but when the creatures explode and splatters all over your Windows Phone screen, the children's gaming feel fades quickly.
Maybe it’s a golf-styled game played in levels instead of an 9 or 18 hole round but it felt as if the game was incomplete. There is a local, multi-player mode and more levels of play in development. Once in these features are added to the mix, maybe Just Hot Air will have more attraction and the feeling that something is missing will fade. Nonetheless, Just Hot Air is a Windows Phone 8 worth trying and one to keep an eye on as things develop.
Just Hot Air is a free game for Windows Phone 8 devices. You can find your copy of Just Hot Air here (opens in new tab) in the Windows Phone Store.
