Oh wow, I mean WOW. People were scoffing at paying $3 for this game when it first came out, and the dev was pretty adamant that they not drop the price. I was lucky enough to get a promo code from them (thanks!) but had quite a hectic schedule and didn't really get a chance to play it right away. Well, since last Thursday night, I've been playing quite a bit and all I can really say is this is a fantastic game! Def one of my favorites now, and at $0.99 IMHO it's now a "must own". Here's my little run down of the game (I'm about to ramble on, so if you don't feel like reading then just go ahead and click buy now. I don't think you'll be disappointed
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There's a lot of game modes. The campaign, which is the bulk of the game, has you trying to collect/destroy certain objects thru each level (or anomaly, as the levels are called in this game). Each anomaly has a different layout with open spaces connected by corridors to navigate. The dev had previously likened the campaign to a "dungeon crawler", and I would have to agree. It really does feel like simplified dungeon crawler in a space theme, you're killing off enemies while trying to collect enough items to get you out of that level. The campaign has a pretty nice difficulty curve, and the levels get quite challenging. I'm only about a third of the way through, and the levels are getting pretty hard but not frustrating, and immensely satisfying to finally accomplish.
Aside from the campaign, there is also an arcade mode with some nice options: a classic mode, which is basically you fighting off ever increasing enemies until you die, trying for a high score. Then there's an objective mode, which I haven't played a ton but seems you try to collect/destroy as many objects as you can while still fighting off enemies. Kind of like the campaign but in a "survival" mode. But my favorite is the timed mode. This one is like the classic mode but you designate how much time you have before you begin (1,2,3,4,5 or 10 minutes). It's really nice for breaks at work, where I don't want to get stuck in a game that may take quite a while to finish. I can just choose a five minute game and do the best I can in those five minutes. Really great idea, more mobile games should have something like this.
The graphics in this game are quite good, nice colors and interesting enemy designs. The controls are your standard "twin stick" where the right stick controls movement and the left controls shot direction, which seems to be all the rage lately. They are quite good and responsive, however your movement seems to lead straight from the nose of your ship. So if you make a quick 180 turn, you don't immediately face the opposite direction, you have to wait for your ship to actually turn around and point the way you want to go. I'm not saying this is a negative at all, it just takes some getting used to. My only other problem with the controls is the lack of a landscape mode, it's very playable in portrait but it does tend to feel cramped. Luckily, they've already remedied this and it should be in the first update! The music and sound fx are also quite well done, although I tend to play most games without sound anyway. If I had to pick a major complaint for this game, it's that there's no real instructions on what anything does. I think this game could benefit from a little direction, some explanation of the different game elements and UI stuff. Also, there does seem to be a story, but it doesn't make a ton of sense to me. A more cohesive story line to follow along with in the campaign would be wonderful. But at the same time, the game isn't so complicated that you don't figure these things out. It would just add to the overall completeness of the game. And story line plays second fiddle to game play anyway, and this one has terrifically fun game play so the story is just a minor detail.
This is a really high quality game, unlike many on the app store. There is practically something for everyone, a nice lengthy campaign to play through, and many options for people who want to just go for high scores. Also, if you've just got a few minutes to play, you can pick a set amount of time you'd like to play for. I love that! There's been a flood of the top down arena shooters lately, and I fear that this game might have been initially lost in the shuffle. Well I'm here to say that this game deserves a look from everybody, and hopefully this new sale will generate some more players. Had I not received a code for this game, and paid the regular $3 for it, I would be really satisfied. Heck, if I had paid $20 for this game on my DS I'd still be happy. This game is different enough from the others to warrant owning, the dev is active here on the forums and you can tell they are dedicated to building a fan base and improving their game. Not just making a quick buck. And most importantly this game is really fun, it has a ton of content and should keep you occupied for a while. Thanks for anyone that read all this, and thanks to the dev for a great game. Give it a shot during this amazing sale!