Shark Dash makes a splash on Xbox Windows Phone 8

Following on the heels of The Dark Knight Rises, we have a second Xbox Windows Phone 8 release from Gameloft today. This one leaves the urban streets behind for a much brighter setting: nice, happy bathtubs. Yep, Shark Dash is now available and it only costs a dollar. Dare you dip your toes into these waters?

Quack attack

Shark Dash’s story involves a bunch of toy ducks kidnapping the heroic toy shark’s girlfriend. It’s retty much just there to give players a reason to eat lots of ducks. This game consists of 96 levels spread across four different aquatic environments, and more are promised in the future.

To get those innocent looking, yet nefarious ducks, you’ll tap and pull the shark. Release him and he slingshots around the tub, bouncing off of walls, knocking things over, and eating any ducks he bumps into. Whatever coins he collects along the way go into your bank. They can then be spent in the game’s shop to unlock items and new skins for the various playable sharks. Coin collecting provides a nice metagoal beyond just perfecting all the levels.

After playing the Windows Phone 8 version of Shark Dash for a bit, I can say it compares quite favorably with the Windows 8 PC and tablet version. The simplistic 3D graphics and art style are smooth and inviting, while the short levels are perfect for playing on the go. The Achievements are nice and easy too. Even if you’re not big on physics puzzlers (I’m sure not), give this shark a chance.

Bath time!

Shark Dash for Windows Phone 8 costs 99 cents. It’s a 98 MB download and runs on devices with 512 MB of RAM, so even Lumia 620 users should be able to download it without too much trouble. Get it here on the Windows Phone Store.

Thanks to Rocket Riot and Mark Tepper (once again) for the tip!