Genre: 2d platformer
Developer: Team Replica
Publisher: Independent

Especially when played on a bright, sharp AMOLED display, such as that in the Nexus One, Replica Island's simple yet colorful tile sets, wonderful animation, and expressive character portrait art are not only eye-pleasing, but help to further the game's story and themes in meaningful ways.

For a title with such a limited budget, the complete absence of background music is understandable, but certainly harms the overall experience nonetheless. Sound effects are minimalistic, but are crisp, clear, and do a reasonable enough job of helping to establish the game's character.

In these early days of gaming on primarily touch-based devices, Replica Island's developers chose to use the device's primary input device, such as a trackball or dpad, for movement, and a touch button on the left-hand of the screen for jumping. This scheme works well enough while navigating the clever stages, which contain a nice blend of platforming, exploration, and puzzles.

While Replica Island features solid platforming and puzzle mechanics, its main draw is undoubtedly its dark, well-written story, which contains at least a couple of shocking developments and surprising twists that manipulate and turn some of gaming's established cliches on their heads. The way the levels weave back and forth between the present and the past adds to the intrigue of what is a solid entry into Android's gaming library.