Infinite Sky: Aerial dogfighting taken to the extreme!
What a swanky looking game. All the selected praise comments in the game description make it sound like the next best thing since sliced bread! So we were pretty happy when we picked up Infinite Sky… but were all their comments really justified? Read on to find out more…
Gameplay: This is a 3D aerial dogfighting game set in the world war. You fly a spitfire-like plane and head out to gun down as many opponents as you can… forever (hence the name Infinite Sky). Actually, to be more accurate, it’s like a 2D plane/space shooter with multiple vertical levels of movement (and pimped up with 3D graphics). As you fly along, then enemy planes will pop out, do a roly poly and come back round to shoot something (sometimes it’s you). When you put your finger on the screen then you’ll start shooting and hopefully you’re lined up correctly to destroy the enemy. Everynow and then you’ll get different planes and boss planes which include various types of Bombers.
Hopefully that detailed description didn’t bore you, but if you tried the game out and then you’ll understand some of the more subtle hints I’ve mentioned above. At the same time you’ll see the three different types of control systems: Joypad, Basic and Advanced. The basic and advanced both use the accelerometer and we have no idea what the difference between them is! Overall we suggest trying to use the Basic or Advanced controls because they seem to let you move your plane at the full speed without losing control (whereas with the D-pad you may move your thumb so far that it goes off the screen!).
Before you do try the game out, this is what we think: It’s really dull. So dull that it’s hard to pick up and play. Now that’s not to say it’s absolutely dire, but when you start the game off with the base plane, and no upgrades then it’s a real slog playing the game. We can see that there are loads of power-ups and equipment but unfortunately it’s no good without the money. To get the money you need to kill opponents and then collect the cash. Sounds simple enough but the speed of your plane is SO slow that doing this is a real chore. Why?… because after killing an enemy you need to fly over the coins to collect them. This means you need to wait for them to float over to you, and you can’t kill other enemies to multi-task because your plane won’t manoeuvre fast enough. The vertical perspective is a really big problem – you can’t tell which level your enemy is at, and it’s hard to make sure you definitely fly into the floating coins.
In case you think we’re snobbish… We really don’t like trashing games. Honest developers have put time and effort into them and we fully respect that. However, taking a top-down shooter like 1942 and just making it 3D doesn’t automatically turn it into a good game for us. Our team members still remember titles like Space Harrier and After Burner which were made 25 years ago! They had shoddy sprite graphics back then but they also had much more exciting gameplay… and it still looked 3D too! This key point is why we’re not fans of Infinite Sky.
Pros and Cons: Let’s go through the negatives first and then end on a high. Problem one is that it doesn’t really feel fun and this comes from the fact that your starting plane is so nerfed that it’s hard work getting those coins at the beginning. Since the game is so hard then the purpose of playing is also lost. Ultimately it feels like you really need to grind the game through to collect the cash. The next big problem is the perspective view – it’s hard to see enemies and hit them, and it’s very easy to be shooting at the wrong height level to hit your enemy! Such a frustrating problem is guaranteed to test the patience of even the most calm gamers. Another issue with this game is that it’s very iPhone focused and for some reason they’ve decided to not incorporate the back button – so to quit the game you need to hit the home button and then kill the process!
On the plus side, if you do manage to get a plane that you’re comfortable with piloting then there are plenty of powerups and challenges available for you. It’s a never ending game so you can just keep shooting forever. The graphics are pretty decent and the whole theme of the game can be quite satisfying.
Rating: 2/5 Infinite Sky is the perfect example that graphics supplement gameplay. If the core isn’t fun then no amount of fancy images is going to save it. Overall a decent game if you’re willing to grind through collecting the cash.
Infinite Sky Promotional Youtube Video
Infinite Sky Tips from Android Games Review:
- Collecting cash is the most important thing. Cash only comes from kills but it’s highly unlikely that you’ll be able to kill two opponents on opposite sides of the screen and also manage to collect the loot left over. So don’t be greedy and don’t fly over to kill the opponents which are far away if you’ll risk losing your money.
- Although the vertical perspective is a pain, it’s possible to get used to the levels after a while. The opponents will also flash white when they’re hit.
- When you’re up against the Kamikaze planes then try not to get hit. However, it is worth trying to kill what you can because they drop pretty good powerups.
- Don’t worry about your health. When you die and restart there doesn’t seem to be any difference in the enemies. Focus most on the cash at the beginning.
Developers: Touch Ten Games
Infinite Sky QR Code
(Click on the image or scan the barcode with your Android phone to goto Google Play)
