Summary

Sometimes people just need to blow off some steam after a stressful day. Most of the time, action games and first-shooters are the best way to relieve some of that stress. Stair Dismount isn’t any of the above and startles with its own somewhat disturbing game concept.

The fact that we can multitask and accomplish a lot of important things with our beloved smartphones is a given. But apps don’t always have to make sense. Sometimes the most absurd and silly games can also be the most fun as is the case with Stair Dismount. The aim of the game is to thrown dummies down a long flight of stairs and the entire fall is animated with very realistic detail. Disturbing and sick? You bet! The game isn’t trying to promote violence, but it plays with people sensibilities and their love of the weird, the odd and the bad.

Falling down a set of stairs doesn’t sound like a lot of fun, so how does the game work exactly? First, you have to select a dummy. In the free version, you can choose between two mannequins: a regular human-size dummy and a green Android robot. The fun starts once you’ve selected the character you are going to ever-so-kindly hurl down the stairs. You can let your evil side show by adding a picture from your gallery to the dummy’s face. That’s definitely hilarious and may be a good way to get your negative energy out towards somebody, but it’s also more than a bit disturbing and distasteful.

After you’ve decorated your dummy with a real-life face, you can a select from over 18 different levels in the free version.

At the start of the level, the dummy is standing at the top of a set of stairs, a ramp or any other elevated object. Select where you’d like to kick the dummy by placing an arrow anywhere on his body. After that adjust the force of the kick (or punch) and tap “Dismount” to see your dummy fall.

From that point on, all you can do is watch and observe the dummy’s tragic fall. The more broken bones along the way, the more points you earn at the end of the level. The same concept can be found across all of the different levels, but each level has a particular twist. One of the levels comes with a sky jump while another level has a small bull’s eye at the bottom a tower that you have to hit with your dummy.

Bottom Line: Stair Dismount should not be taken seriously, but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s fairly gruesome. The game physics are really well done, but Star Dismount just isn’t interesting enough in the long run to keep people glued to their screen. It’s a good way to get a couple of laughs, but it’s something you’ll be playing day in and day out.

The dummies look like dolls and I think that’s exactly the way they should be. If the mannequins were to look like real humans with bloody special effects, Stair Dismount would be highly unethical and just too disturbing to play.

So although both the levels and dummies may not look realistic, all of the 3D graphics and objects have a very sophisticated physics engine. The controls are also very well done. The menus are well-structured and you can adjust the camera position before the start of each level in order to get the best possible view of the action. In the end, though, the graphics just aren’t interesting or innovative enough to be worth your time.

Stair Dismount performed smoothly on my Nexus S, but appeared to suck up a lot of battery power. You’ll definitely need a phone with a better than average graphics engine to enjoy the game to its max.

Stair Dismount is available for free from the Android Market and ads are only displayed in the main menu. You’ll need to chip in some cash to get extra levels and dummies, but the ones already included in the free version are good, too.