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You would think that it would be just a little difficult to keep abusing the iPhone’s accelerometer and touch controls, but luckily, mobile phone developers keep finding ways to use this control scheme to the benefit of players everywhere. Sway is one of those games, a puzzle adventure that abuses those controls. Unfortunately, while it tries its best to be innovative, it trips over responsiveness, which takes away some points.

You start with two characters in Sway, with more unlocked as you play the game, up to ten. The heart of the game is to sway those characters through various levels, balancing them on a platform. Each stage carries different objectives, from simply getting through it to rescuing friends to looking for items such as keys. There’s no time limit for the game, which makes it a relaxed game, very forgiving of beginners and novices and even to people who aren’t used to their iPhones yet.

The game lives on rag-doll physics, loose and floppy rag doll physics. You use your thumbs to control the character onscreen, with each thumb representing one arm on your character – the left thumb for the left arm and the right thumb for the right arm. That’s where Sway gets its name. Moving your thumbs moves the character’s arms back and forth and when you let go, the character starts moving according to the momentum that you’ve generated with this action.

Unfortunately, it joins many games in sharing a critical error – camera angling. You can’t zoom it out, which leaves you sometimes wondering if you’re going to sway right off a cliff. Funny in Looney Tunes, frustrating in practice. When you’re looking for hidden or secret keys, you need to risk falling off a cliff just to try it out. There’s a lot of falling and failing, but there’re plenty of checkpoints and next to no load time to keep the action going.

Conceptually? Sway works very well, but as with many games it’s not the concept that falters but the execution. The controls are innovative but can distance you from the action. It never quite feels like you’re telling the character what to do rather that just implying. One wrong move and you’re down in the pit. Some people might like the surgical precision required just to get through one of the more complicated levels – others might just want a quick romp through a level which would turn them off to the game.

The art direction of the game is a little strange. Backgrounds and stages are bland, dull and just difficult to look at occasionally, but the characters well done. Your ears will have fun though as the music and sounds are a treat.

For people looking for innovation and a different play experience on their iPhone, Sway’s going to work for them. Gamers will appreciate the thought and design behind the game, even if the game isn’t as polished or as smooth as it should be. For around $5, it’s a nice quick download for people looking for a change of pace.