Format: iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch
Developer: Ganymede Sp Zoo
I have always been a fan of top down shooters. You know the type where you are in a plane or a space ship are tasked with just shooting down tons and tons of enemies. Many people see the arcades as the heyday of this type of game. But for me it was the Sega Saturn that had the best shooters and I think this game is thankfully more of a throwback to that. Before I even knew anything of the game play I was just drooling over the screen shots of this game. So it has been one I have been looking forward to for a few weeks now.
The game has a sci-fi story that sees you trying to stop and alien invasion. Truth be told in a game like this you do not really need some big long story you just need an excuse to shoot down lots of enemies and the story does do that. The game looks great it is 2D, but the vehicles and other structures in the game have been animated in 3D so you get this really cool 2D/3D hybrid of a game and it works very well. It manages to have that old school look, but at the same time everything looks razor sharp on your devices screen.
The game is split into 11 very well detailed levels and as well as this there are a handful of huge bosses for you to take on as well. To me a shooter like this has to have some pretty imposing bosses and this game does not disappoint in that category. The core game play sees you trying to navigate to the end of the level while killing as many aliens as possible to try and get the highest score you can. The aliens though will shoot back and this is a game that does require some serious skill especially on the later levels.
One very interesting thing is the way that you control your plane. I assumed that there would be a virtual joystick, but instead you place your finger on the plane and then drag it around the screen. It is always shooting so there is no fire button. This is a game that can be played with just one finger. I know this sounds kind of limited, but it does work very well. As you play through levels you will see stars dotted around. When you get these you upgrade your plane. This is really awesome as you can pimp out your plane with some serious fire power and makes it look very bad ass as well. As you play the game you will encounter a few mini games as well. While these are nowhere near as much fun as the main game they do add a little variety.
My only gripe is that you only have one plane. Yes there are a few on the menu, but you will have to pay for them if you want them. This is not a deal breaker as truth be told I really did not care what my plane looked like. But I still would have liked to have been able to earn them by being good at the game rather than opening my wallet.
I think this is a great shooter. It is one of the best so far that I have played in 2013 and I think that is control scheme makes it a game that really anyone can pick up and play. If you are a fan of classic style shooters then this is a game I am sure you will have a great deal of fun with.