Lifeline, which made its App Store debut in April of 2015, is completely text-based but don’t let that put you off, the game is actually fun and addictive—especially if you own an Apple Watch.
In Lifeline, you interact with Taylor, a stranded space traveler with a busted ship, through a series of text messages and canned responses. The choices you make determine his fate and how the plot unfolds.
This game plays out in real time of Taylor. “Lifeline kept us in suspense the whole time, desperately awaiting the next message from marooned astronaut Taylor,” says Apple.
With your help, he can survive his ordeal but your help has to be on his own time. If Taylor is resting, or busy doing something, for example, you must wait until he is ready to contact you before you can continue.
“As he sends you text notifications telling you what he’s doing, you reply with instructions on which way he should travel, whether to explore a derelict ship, and other crucial decisions,” explains Apple.
As mentioned, the game is also available on the Apple Watch. It actually plays quite well because there isn’t much graphics or a bunch of buttons to fiddle with.
The option to rewind and pick different choices makes Lifeline wonderfully replayable. There’s something intrinsically fun about receiving messages from Taylor via your wrist computer, Star Trek style.
If you’re big on games like this, check out 3 Minute Games’ other titles from the same series, including Lifeline 2 [review] and Lifeline: Silent Night.
To learn more about Lifeline, check out Lorry’s review of the game.
Grab Lifeline at no charge in the App Store until next Thursday.