Windows Phone Xbox Live Review: MiniSquadron

For the longest fourth dimension, Rise of Celebrity was the only aerial combat game in the mobile Xbox Live lineup. Not a bad game, but the relatively circuitous tilt controls and sterile atmosphere kept me out of the pilot seat. A twelvemonth later, MiniSquadron finally touched down on the Market. Both games feature mid-air dogfighting - and still they couldn't exist more different. Created by indie developer Supermono and ported by Fat Pebble, MiniSquadron is simple, lightheaded, and incredibly addictive. Even steep claiming and rampant glitchiness can't keep it down.

Flying the unfriendly skies

MiniSquadron is essentially a 2nd arena-based shoot-em-upwards. Only here the arenas are the skies, with a spot of country at bottom. Each of the game's nine distinct maps contains 12 waves of enemy onslaught. Up to 12 fighters tin occupy the screen at once, 11 of them aiming to shoot downward you and you alone. Not the fairest of odds, but fancy flying, a good aim, and a pint of luck will help you come up out on superlative. The checkpoints every iii or 4 waves likewise come up in handy when your lives run out.

Build your ain squadron

Undoubtedly, MiniSquadron'south best feature is its plane unlocking arrangement. Players start with only a single airplane to cull from, only lots more than will dissimilar one time specific waves and scores are reached on all the different maps. Each of the whopping 63 shipping features different stats in speed, armor, size, turning rate, and firing speed, plus one of several different weapons. Weapons include cannons of the single-triple variety, homing missiles, lasers, drop bombs, and my favorite, the cluster bomb. Players are jump to gravitate towards a certain weapon type or two. Even and so, the differences in stats between ii planes of the same weapon blazon can make them feel significantly different.

License to fly

Some other prissy aspect of MiniSquadron is speedily one tin learn to play. A highly responsive virtual stick steers the aeroplane quite naturally in all directions. This is a shmup, not a flying sim, so pressing upwardly points the plane'due south nose upward instead of down. Planes bounce harmlessly off the left and right borders of each arena, but the vertical limits pose a greater danger. Flying as well high causes the plane to stall and plummet; quickly steer in the management of the fall to regain control. Hit the ground or water and lose a life.

While the virtual stick's performance soars, the push or firing the plane's guns falls slightly brusque. Its tiny size and proximity to the bottom-correct edge of the screen make it somewhat uncomfortable to hold. Later several days of playing, I actually felt the hand fatigue. My thumb as well inadvertently slipped off the button now then. The button size and placement seem identical to the iOS version's, so it's possible that the different size and shape of my Samsung Focus plays a cistron. At any rate, mirroring the size and position of the virtual stick would solve the problem.

Lucky charms

During the course of battle, star-shaped powerups and extra life hearts will occasionally fall from the sky. Powerups tin bring downwards air strikes, shrink and speed up a airplane, overstate and slow planes downwards, restore health, and more. It takes a while to memorize what they do; a listing of their effects should have been tucked away in the game somewhere. Also, enemies can and will steal powerups, peculiarly since you can't see off-screen items. This sometimes leads to unfair situations, similar when someone in a horde of enemies grabs an particular and kills you correct off the bat. Nobody said it would be easy!

Tough but so beautiful

While the difficulty eventually ramps up uninvitingly, the aforementioned can't be said for MiniSquadron's visuals. The 2D rendered aircraft have an endearingly cartoonish look that'south even more pronounced with the stranger designs like a man-dead plane and flying squid. Precipitous smoke furnishings ensure you'll never lose rail of fifty-fifty the speediest on-screen planes.

Fifty-fifty the carte organisation shows a high level of artistic smooth and flourish. The menus don't utilize the Metro design, just who cares when they look so sharp? Unlike that darn burn down button, these buttons are ever large and like shooting fish in a barrel to press. Every time you visit the title screen, a different stage appears behind the game'southward logo – a cool affect.

MiniSquadron's soundtrack deserves special praise equally well. Each phase has its own classical tune, rendered in satisfying midi style. A couple of the tracks sound likewise sedate for gainsay, simply 'Moonlight Sonata' and 'Ride of the Valkyries' can't be beat. Check out our previous article for the full track list.

The glitches

At present, a number of bugs and glitches threaten to mar MiniSquadron'southward otherwise engaging experience. We already covered a control bug that prevents the virtual stick from working – thankfully that i has a simple workaround. Game-crashing bugs are another affair. For example, playing as Jimbo the flying squid frequently kills the game, presumably due to his giant slowdown-inducing light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation. Because how much work it takes to unlock him, it's frustrating not even existence able to utilize the guy.

Achievements

You lot might expect a tough game similarMiniSquadronto take some hard Achievements, and you'd be correct. Some Achievements, similar killing 20 enemies without taking a striking, will probably come up with do. But unlocking Freeze Willy, the terminal plane, may exist out of reach of many players due to the Snow Hope level's absurd difficulty.

Still, 'Indestructible' makes those tasks look similar walking while chewing bubblegum. First off, chirapsia every level with 3 lives remaining is request a lot when most players won't even be able to terminate the subsequently levels without standing (and sometimes one-upwards hearts just don't desire to spawn). Nor does the game characteristic a way to runway progress towards the Accomplishment. Only all of that is moot anyway because the Accomplishment is just plain cleaved and impossible to attain. Since it's worth an irksome 50 GamerScore, even the most skilled pilots can't earn more than than 150 GS from this title. It might be prudent to contact Supermono and inquire for a fix.

Overall Impression

MiniSquadron stands out from the Xbox Live crowd with its large and endearing assortment of aircraft, first-class graphics and sound, and highly challenging (only fun!) gameplay. It's only a shame that the hardcore players who would otherwise gravitate towards the shmup-like gameplay and challenge will likely exist scared abroad by that behemothic, nasty cleaved Accomplishment. Hopefully Supermono and Fat Pebble do the right thing and patch upwards their game'south glitches. Though bugs riddle its fuselage like bullets, MiniSquadron manages to exist one of the most enjoyable Windows Phone games I've played in a long time.

MiniSquadron costs $2.99 and there is a gratis trial. Touch on down hither on the Market to get it.

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Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/windows-phone-xbox-live-review-minisquadron

Posted by: fraleywhisight.blogspot.com

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