A Space Shooter: Alien blasting carnage for your Android phone
Frima Studio have created a fab shoot ‘em up with some very funny and lively characters. It’s some hot shooting action with a great story weaved into it. You may have seen this on iPhones or the Playstation Network already, but hear more about the Android version below!
Gameplay: It’s a space shooter where your gunship will fly to where your finger is touching the screen. When you’re in contact with the screen then the ship will also fire. Voila.
OK so there’s loads of this type of game out there… what are the subtle differences here? Well it’s definitely not Raiden-like because you have an energy bar and you don’t die from one hit. It’s a good thing there’s a strong ship hull because it doesn’t seem possible to survive without colliding into something. In short, it’s a very gung-ho type of game.
Awesomeness: There’s a good range of enemies, which shoot and explode in different ways thus generating interesting and challenging levels. More importantly though, your gunship is upgradeable so you can inflict more devastation on the aliens… nice.
Hilarious: Very rarely do I laugh out loud at a game, but this production makes me do just that. There’s a detailed and funny story weaved into cutscenes, so you’ll smirk at the jokes which are thrown your way. To top it off, the stories have full voice covers! All these parts add spice and character into the gaming experience and bring A Space Shooter to life.
Unfortunate negatives: The interface is a bit dodgy. We’re ignoring the fact that some Android phones have bad touch detection. We’re referring to the problem that the ship will exist under your finger… but your finger is larger than the ship. So it means that you can’t dodge everything accurately. There are pros and cons to this setup compared to others: One positive is that the ship will fly pretty fast to wherever you’re touching, so you can jump from one side to the other quickly. An alternative interface we would like to see is touch relative movement which would mean you can fly/dodge more accurately since you would be able to see your ship.
Although the cutscene voices are excellent, the unfortunate drawback is that the game size is over 30MB… so hopefully you have a new phone which has the space to handle this.
Verdict: 4/5 Top-notch arcade action which brings back some retro-style gameplay that has been hyped up with detailed sprites. There’s comical cutscenes and an interesting story to keep you interested. A combination of the story and the upgradeable ship should keep you entertained for a while. Definitely check out the free version first if you’re interested as that gives a good demonstration of the game and lets you enjoy two galaxies of enemies.
A Space Shooter Promotional Video
Tips for A Space Shooter from Android Game Reviews
- In the free version of the game it’s possible to complete everything on wussy difficulty level with no upgrades. But if you’re interested in upgrading your ship then play on the competent difficulty setting.
- Each level is constructed the same so if you’re finding that you’re dying before reaching the next checkpoint then try learning where the enemy appearance points and flight paths are.
Upgrades:
The game is very gung-ho, so think aggressive and expendable. i.e. shoot lots and farm the enemies for money – dying many times doesn’t make much difference. Optimum upgrade path:
- Get the Remnant Vacuum first (50k) because it’ll auto attract the money to you and thus reduce the need to fly around vigorously.
- Then just go for the gun upgrades. Remember that the more you shoot, then the more you’ll destroy and hence you’ll get more money.
- If you can’t beat the boss (and you die without inflicting much damage), then don’t waste your time. Give up, because he won’t give you money when you inflict damage on him. Instead replay a level to farm enemies for cash so you can upgrade your ship further.
- Shields can help, but remember that they aren’t useful until you can pack a punch and beat the bosses. So don’t spend your cash on them unless you think you’re close to beating a boss.
A Space Shooter QR Code
(Click on the image or scan the barcode with your Android phone to goto the Android Market)
Developers: Frima Studio
