The original NyxQuest was released by Chillingo as a downloadable game back in 2009 for the Nintendo Wii through Wiiware. As with a lot of new additions to the App Store being ports of old quality titles with a potential of drawing a new audience and extending their profitability, it’s quite a good strategy for developers nowadays. With this particular title, there is good reason why you have to give it a second look.

As with a lot of other “minigames” released for the past five years, this is a 2D platformer with a few additions. You play as the goddess Nyx who is searching for her beloved, the Greek mythology figure Icarus. You can control her with directional buttons and a jump button to make her fly for a short time. You can also manipulate objects to move and guide them across the screen as you wish. As you proceed through the levels, you encounter new challenges and gain various abilities, which gives this game a pretty good shelf life.

The thing about this game is that it had a considerable amount of polish. Various elements like the level design and the controls are quite well done for a game that’s supposed to serve as merely a filler console game. The visuals also make up for a lot of NyxQuest’s appeal, including stunning background art that can really draw you into the experience. The soundtrack also makes the whole game quite pleasing to the senses, being both enjoyable and suitable for the game’s overall theme.

The Wii had both traditional and motion controls working for the original version of NyxQuest, and the port has translated it into the touch interface of the iOS. But unlike with the Wii, you won’t be straining your arms with this one since all you need to do is to move your thumbs along the screen instead of flailing about with awkward controllers. Nothing bad against the Nintendo Wii, but the controllers were quite dangerous to live with, especially with hyperactive children about. With the iOS, its a good change with playing this game as you have better response and feedback with the controls this time around.

The gameplay itself may become confusing for some as you have to do two things at once, moving around and dealing with the environment at the same time. It’s like tapping your head while rubbing your stomach in a sense as you’re making each hand do different tasks simultaneously. It does take some getting used to, but it shouldn’t be too big of a flaw to put this game down a notch or two in quality. Other elements like the story and visual presentation do more than enough to make up for it.

Everything good about this game gives the developers enough credibility for releasing this for the App Store. If you want a game that’s good and dabbles in Greek mythology, then this is quite a perfect fit for you. It is compatible with 3rd generation iOS devices and you may purchase it for $3.99 in the iTunes App Store.