Shove Pro Review

The Holiday season is here which means shoving is the order of the day. We've all been there. Shopping away for precious gifts and being shoved aside by all manners of rude people. Shove Pro allows you to shove others while being rewarded for doing exactly that. It's a form of Endless Runner with a focus on shoving and avoiding bad guys.

Players take the role of a movie stuntman and it's down to them to make the movie look as exciting as possible. The stuntman runs towards the screen with the player controlling whether they move to the left or right, as well as defensive moves. These defensive moves are needed because, just like in any chase scene, plenty of villains are out to catch the stuntman. This is where Burnout style crash elements come together. Innocent bystanders hang around the screen and once the player approaches them, they can fling them towards the goons behind them. This is done in slow motion with the player holding a finger to the screen to control strength, before directing the person towards a goon.

By doing this, it's possible to initiate a combo by lining up the shot just right, thereby taking out a few goons at once. As the game progresses, further challenges emerge such as scooter riding enemies and helicopters, meaning additional blows are required.

It's a simple idea but one that's satisfying to pull off well. At times, the physics engine feels a little flakey and not entirely accurate, but the charm of Shove Pro continues on. Extra fun comes from the shot challenges, such as gaining bonus points for throwing people into pianos or crashing through panes of glass.

Shove Pro does a lot to keep players interested in such a simple idea. New effects such as a jumping kick move, and a surreal Nightmare mode can be unlocked. That's just scratching the surface, too, with plenty to keep players returning for a while to come. New city landscapes can also be unlocked, with everything coming with its own Game Center achievement to keep addicts happy. It's these little things that will keep people playing. It certainly worked on me.

Refinements could be made, however. The graphics are a little bland and less inspired than the gameplay. It's, also, possible to have one's view obscured leading to being caught by a goon that there was no chance of seeing in time. These problems are rarely frustrating though as Shove Pro is always excellent fun. Turning a five minute session into a much longer session is a tough job for any iOS game but this one manages it well.