Happy Tree Friends: Slap Happy
| Happy Tree Friends: Slap Happy | |
| |
| Date | December 12, 2009 |
| Developer | Codeglue |
| Publisher | Publisher X |
| Platform | Apple iPhone Apple iPod Touch |
| Genre | Virtual pet[1] |
Happy Tree Friends: Slap Happy is an iOS entertainment app developed by Codeglue[2] and published on December 12, 2009 by Publisher X.[3] It was released on iTunes but was removed, likely for negative reviews of the app.[citation needed] It was only available on the United States app store.[citation needed]
This application was rated 9+ for "Frequent/Intense Cartoon or Fantasy Violence". It was compatible with iPhone OS 2.0 or later.
iTunes description
HAPPY TREE FRIENDS: SLAP HAPPY is a unique game application that puts your very own cute, cuddly and unsuspecting Happy Tree Friend in the palm of your hand. Inspired by the animated shorts from the cult sensation, Happy Tree Friends; HAPPY TREE FRIENDS: SLAP HAPPY allows you to tease and play with your furry friend, but be sure to keep your little pal safe and out of harm's way because you never know when crazy things are bound to happen!
The application takes full advantage of the Apple iPhone and iPod touch to extend the different circumstances that Happy Tree Friends characters can experience and that fans have come to love and expect from the series.
Gameplay
The gameplay revolves around the touch screen of the iOS device. The game starts with Cuddles in a room. The player can interact with Cuddles using either touchscreen gestures or shaking the device. Cuddles will take damage from certain interactions. After taking 20 hits, Cuddles will be in a damaged state indicated by him looking wounded and being covered in bandages and stitches. Past 40 hits, Cuddles will die and need to be revived to resume interaction.
While Cuddles is idle, one of the following animations will randomly play if he is not interacted with:
- Cuddles blinks.
- Cuddles hops in place while facing left, and then right, before returning to his idle pose.
- Cuddles sings.
- Cuddles smiles.
- Cuddles takes out a large watch as he taps his foot impatiently.
- Cuddles waves at the viewer.
- Cuddles yawns.
- If Cuddles is in a damaged state, he can only cry.
The following lists the interactions:[note 1]
- Body poke: Tap on Cuddles' body, making him flinch.
- Flying: Swipe across Cuddles from below or shake the device to send him flying, causing him to take damage for every impact point on either the sides of the room, the floor, or the ceiling.
- Poke: Tap on either side of Cuddles' body to make him lose balance briefly.
- Slap: Swipe across Cuddles' face to slap him. This inflicts damage on him.
Opening the menu on the upper right part of the screen, which is marked by a skull and bones icon, will show five tools that can be used on Cuddles:
Shock: Zaps Cuddles. This will revive him from any death. It will not do anything if Cuddles is alive.
Revive: Allows the user to give Cuddles CPR in order to revive him. To revive him, the player has to swipe down towards Cuddles five times. This is only usable if Cuddles died after a slap or from being sent flying.
Spike walls: Activates a spike wall trap, which clamps on Cuddles.
Drain pipe: Drops a drain pipe, which falls into Cuddles' mouth and kills him.
Chainsaw: Drops a chainsaw, cutting Cuddles in half.
The player can also tap the upper left tab, which is marked by a key icon, to open the options menu. In this menu, the player can either read the app's information, mute/unmute audio, or change the background, which has three variations.
Characters
| Image | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
 |
Cuddles | The only Happy Tree Friend the player can interact with in Slap Happy. By performing certain gestures on the device, Cuddles will react accordingly. He will end up wounded and even die from enough abuse, though the player can revive him back to his initial state. |
Fates
Deaths
- Cuddles can die if he is hit more than 40 times.
- Cuddles can be crushed between spike walls.
- Cuddles' throat can end up lodged by a drain pipe.
- Cuddles can be cut in half with a chainsaw.
Injuries
- Cuddles can end up smacked against either side of the screen, the floor, or the ceiling if he is sent flying.
- Cuddles can gain visible wounds from taking damage 20 times.
Development
The Happy Tree Friends: Slap Happy app was first teased on Happy Tree Friends Social via Kenn Navarro's blog titled "Let your finger do the slapping!", which was first published on July 6, 2009. In that blog post, Kenn first explained about the many things he could do at Mondo related to Happy Tree Friends, including side projects such as t-shirt designs or other merchandise. Kenn admitted to be a fan of games and thus decided to reveal one such project related to it, which is this app. A teaser trailer simply titled Happy Tree Friends - Slap Happy was included, featuring Cuddles in a room within an iPhone screen and a human finger slapping him. It was slated to be released for August, with a tentative date of August 30, 2009[4], before it got delayed to before the holidays.
During post-release, Happy Tree Friends: Slap Happy was promoted using live-action skits featuring an actor in a Cuddles suit going about in the real world to represent the app's gimmick of "taking Cuddles anywhere with you," which was expressed in the first of such video released on December 16, 2009, Happy Tree Friends - Slap Happy iPhone App (also known as The Cuddles Slide according to the "Let your finger do the slapping!" blog post, though mistakenly linked to Cuddles takes the bus! in URL), which shows Cuddles accompanying and playing with a young boy. The second video released on December 22, 2009, Happy Tree Friends - Get Slap Happy, expresses the app's gimmick in the form of Cuddles getting slapped (or otherwise abused) by random people. The third video released on January 2, 2010, Happy Tree Friends - Cuddles takes the bus!, combines both aspects of the previous two videos as it shows Cuddles accompanying a kid to take a bus, but due to his size, he is unable to get inside and thus gets slapped by the kid.
Reception
On iTunes, as of October 8, 2010, Happy Tree Friends: Slap Happy gained a rating of around 3.5 stars out of 5, from a total of 767 ratings. Customer reviews criticized the app for having too little content or interaction for an app based on the show, combined with the wait time since its announcement back in July.
Gallery
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App icon.
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iTunes artwork.
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Splash screen.
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The player is slapping Cuddles.
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The promotional banner for Happy Tree Friends: Slap Happy, used on the "Let your finger do the slapping!" news blog.
Trivia
- Happy Tree Friends: Slap Happy is the first official Happy Tree Friends iOS app.
- Despite what the description on iTunes claims, only Cuddles is the only character in the game.
Notes
- ↑ The interaction terms are taken from internal names in the game files.
References
| Happy Tree Friends video games | |
|---|---|
| Home Console Games | Main games: Happy Tree Friends: False Alarm Crossover games: The Crackpet Show: Happy Tree Friends Edition |
| Mobile Games | Blood Money • Deadeye Derby • Flippy's Flying Frenzy • Homerun • Run and Bun • Slap Happy • Spin Fun • Strandead |
| Web Games | Aggravated Asphalt • Aim to Freeze • Candy Cave • Disco Inferno • Double Vision • Fire Escape • Going Overboard • Hare Trigger • Hot Potato • Lumpy's Lame Card Trick • Milk Pong • On Thin Ice • Run and Bun • Stay On Target • Strandead • Socks To Be You • Sugar High • This Game Is All Flocked Up • Tightrope-A-Dope |