The OverviewConfession time: My name is Michael. And I am a Casual Gamer.That's right. I just play for fun. I don't play for high scores. I don't play for achievements. I don't try to beat my friends (or enemies).

I don't keep trying a level over and over again because 'I MUST GET PAST IT.' When a game frustrates me to the point I want to throw the controller across the room (or in this case the iPhone), I just quit playing it.And that is what happened with Parachute Ninja. First off, this is a GREAT game. There is a reason why it has a 4 star rating in the App Store. (Actually, it should have a 5 start rating, but it has some low ratings given to it by people with the same frustrations I have - however, I don't blame the game, I blame my skill level.)In the game, you bounce on trampolines, shoot yourself skyward with rubber band platforms, float down on your umbrella-parachute, and drop on enemies from above, Mario-style. Prismata.

Your score depends on how few times you can hit dangers and how many fireflies you collect as multipliers. The higher your score, the more hash marks for completing the level (showing what a stud you are).The FeaturesParachute Ninja has two modes: Story Mode and Survival Mode.

The Ninja Rope is one of the most popular movement utilities in the Worms series. It is also the basis of many schemes, including Shopper, WxW, and Rope Race. Depending on the power setting, you may be given a number of repeat swings, this is done by pressing space to let go of the rope, then pressing space again to re-fire it while in mid-air. Jun 11, 2011  Parachute Ninja ($.99 - Free, 12 MB): A high-flying platform game that requires you to get your ninja from one end of the level to the other by slinging him through the air. Once in the air, you.

Survival Mode acts like Doodle Jump or any other Casual Endless game - you go up and up and up trying to gain the highest score possible before dropping into the drink.Story Mode has 30 different levels in 4 different regions. You must complete each level in order to move to the next one - though there is no minimum score required to do so. That is one of the things that bothered me - no way to skip a level if it was too hard to finish.Parachute Ninja uses Plus+ for high scores and achievements. There are 20 different achievements for a total of 750 points on Plus+ ranging from the easy like 'Drunk Style - Master' which requires you to fall into the water 100 times to 'Dragon Style - Master' where you have to get the maximum score on all levels.The Breakdown The GoodThe gameplay is fantastic. This is one of those games that you never want to stop playing. The fact that you can finish a level then go back and try to get a better score makes for high replayability.The graphics are gorgeous and the music and sounds don't suck (trust me, that's high praise from my quarter).Parachute Ninja takes full advantage of the accelerometer and the multi-touch display. You tilt, tap, drag, tap somewhere else - all at the same time.The BadThere is nothing actually bad about the game.

The biggest thing has to do with my confession at the beginning of the article: I am too much of a casual gamer to make it past certain areas. I got extremely frustrated trying to tilt and maneuver everything at once - completely my failing and not the game's.The VerdictQuick and dirty: Parachute Ninja is definitely worth the $0.99. Even though I couldn't complete the entire game, the parts I could get through were extremely entertaining.With tons of checkpoints on each level, it can be played as a Pick Up and Play game.

Or you can play it hardcore and push yourself to complete every level with the maximum score. Either way, you need to play this game.

A parachute isn't the sort of thing we'd expect any self respecting ninja to get involved in.For one thing, it's difficult to be inconspicuous hanging underneath a large silk canopy, no matter how much black you're wearing.The parachute ninja is no self-respecting ninja, though. Sure, he wears the de rigueur black uniform, but his main features are two bulbous eyes and expressive eyebrows mounted on a ball-like body. Oh, and the 'parachute' that pops out of his head whenever you tap the screen.Float and bounceStill, like most ninjas he's out for revenge against the mysterious assassin who killed his family and he's going to bounce, ping, and float his way through 30 levels filled with various items to get it.The first objects you come into contact with are green elastic wires. Land on one and he immediately sticks onto it. Then you can drag him down and let go. Before you do, a ghost trail gives you an idea about his trajectory.It's the same feature used in Konami's, though expanded by the range of objects with which you interact.There's the parachute, which is vital for fine-tuning your position when falling. It's also important when you come into contact with the fans, which blow you across the screen.

In both of these situations, popping out the parachute and then tilting your handset allows you to move the ninja laterally around the screen.Then there are springy platforms which ping you around, spiky obstacles that hurt when touched, and floating robots and flying monsters upon whose heads you can bounce on Mario-style.Combine these together with quirky Japanese-themed graphics and audio, throw in complex moving platforms, elastic wires that work on timers, and you've got a game that manages to mix fun and challenge in equal measure. Hard polishAside from these level elements, there are two other reasons Parachute Ninja is so enjoyable.First and foremost is the sheer tactile pleasure of the control system. Pinging the parachute ninja around - the way he bounces off things and the slow grace that comes from using the parachute - gives the game a sure foundation that's inherently satisfying.Combined with this polish is the game's reward system. Collecting luminescent creatures nets you points that fill up a meter, which determines your rank at the end of the level.This rank doesn't matter much - only your pride and some replay incentive - and the fact parachute ninja can't die means you rarely get frustrated. Even when you die with zero points, you just go back to the last checkpoint.Parachute Ninja isn't perfect. A couple of the more difficult levels come early in the game: notably The Labyrinth.Equally, the best designed levels tend to be front-loaded, with The Waterline and Timing's The Key particular favourites of mine, and there's a drop off in pace as you play through the latter levels.But as a simple, beautifully presented, and thoroughly bouncy game, which fulfils the App Store's potential in terms of cheap pick-up-playability, Parachute Ninja is about as good as it gets.