Cricket fever can takes all forms including a mobile gaming app called Lions Roar by Gamos Technology Solutions.  It's meant to be a simple vanilla gaming app that allows Sri Lankan fans all over (you can only play as the Sri Lankan cricket team) to play against our favourite rivals.

First things first, please note that I only tried the game on a test link that was provided by the developer. This was reviewed on a PC.

Game play

On first glance, it seems Lions Roar is trying to emulate the simplistic games you get on a Google Doodle and that's fantastic because I love doodles (are the hours I've wasted battling my co-workers during the Olympics Doodles). Anyway, those games thrive because they are very responsive, have a very low and intuitive learning curve, and generally move seamlessly from game to game. On paper, the game seems to check these boxes.

The game's mechanics are simple enough. Players can opt for a 5,10, 15 over match. Depending on a coin-toss you find yourself either batting first or chasing a score (only batting is allowed). There are four batting moves depending on where the ball is coming from. So match the right move to the direction of the ball and you score. If you match the move and time the shot correctly, you could score quite well. Mismatching the shots, on the other hand, could get you out or may leave you with a poor run-rate. Nothing too complicated but neither is this intuitive for someone who is not familiar with cricket.

The problem is that the game is of two minds, it has the mechanics to match a simple and lovable Google Doodle but comes chock full of unnecessary features and lag that makes it painfully frustrating at times. Some things like a toss and a team selection system (when you can only bat and none of the teams of unique characteristics) seem pointless and could have simply been automated.

There game also seems a bit buggy to be a bit rough around the edges. It is difficult to perceive where the ball is going and sometimes identical shots for identical balls seem to bring about mixed results (or maybe I'm just being a sore loser).

Visuals and sound

The game has a wonderful looping Papara sound track, which is then ruined with the robotic voice-over following each shot. You can't switch-off the voice over and you cannot mute the music while playing the game. Exiting to the menu to switch off the music instantly wipes out any progress you made and resets the game. So, sadly the procrastinating potential of the app is somewhat limited.

The visuals seem unnecessary at best. First, the image following each shot (e.g. out, no runs, etc.) doesn't really match the shot and it just interrupts the smooth progression to the next ball, which leaves me frantically hitting the space bar or clicking away to no avail. This is probably the source of the lag.

Second, the images are unforgivable generic. Regardless of the teams involved, Sri Lankan players are always in blue while the opposing team  wears grey (and there is no such thing as ethnic diversity here). There aren't any visual marks on their uniforms either - no lions, no streaks of gold and no crests. The same applies for the crowds.

Verdict

The app is free, which means you should try it out. Ideally, without the annoying lag and the unnecessary visuals, the game would be simpler and more fun. Despite its flaws, it is surprising how fun it can be (assuming you put it on mute to avoid that annoying voice over after each ball and you are not too worried about the lag). The game is available on Facebook, Android and PC or Mac.

Reviewed by Navam Niles