Windows Phone Xbox Live Review: MiniSquadron

MiniSquadron Lead

For the longest fourth dimension, Rise of Glory was the only aeriform combat game in the mobile Xbox Live lineup. Not a bad game, but the relatively complex tilt controls and sterile temper kept me out of the airplane pilot seat. A year later, MiniSquadron finally touched down on the Marketplace. Both games feature mid-air dogfighting - and still they couldn't be more than different. Created by indie developer Supermono and ported by Fat Pebble, MiniSquadron is simple, silly, and incredibly addictive. Even steep challenge and rampant glitchiness tin't proceed it downwardly.

Flying the unfriendly skies

MiniSquadron Title

MiniSquadron is essentially a 2d loonshit-based shoot-em-upwards. Simply here the arenas are the skies, with a spot of state at lesser. Each of the game's 9 distinct maps contains 12 waves of enemy onslaught. Up to 12 fighters can occupy the screen at once, 11 of them aiming to shoot down you and you lonely. Non the fairest of odds, simply fancy flying, a good aim, and a pint of luck will help yous come out on top. The checkpoints every three or iv waves also come up in handy when your lives run out.

Build your own squadron

Undoubtedly, MiniSquadron'southward all-time feature is its plane unlocking system. Players offset with just a single plane to choose from, but lots more will different 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 dissimilar weapons. Weapons include cannons of the single-triple variety, homing missiles, lasers, drop bombs, and my favorite, the cluster bomb. Players are spring to gravitate towards a sure weapon type or two. Even and so, the differences in stats between two planes of the same weapon type tin make them feel significantly different.

License to fly

MiniSquadron Hangar

Some other nice aspect of MiniSquadron is speedily ane tin can larn to play. A highly responsive virtual stick steers the plane quite naturally in all directions. This is a shmup, not a flight sim, and so pressing upwardly points the plane'due south olfactory organ up instead of downwards. Planes bounce harmlessly off the left and right borders of each arena, but the vertical limits pose a greater danger. Flying too high causes the plane to stall and plummet; speedily steer in the management of the autumn to regain control. Hit the ground or water and lose a life.

While the virtual stick's operation soars, the button or firing the plane's guns falls slightly curt. 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 really felt the mitt fatigue. My thumb as well inadvertently slipped off the button now so. The push button size and placement seem identical to the iOS version'south, so it's possible that the different size and shape of my Samsung Focus plays a factor. At any rate, mirroring the size and position of the virtual stick would solve the trouble.

Lucky charms

During the course of battle, star-shaped powerups and extra life hearts will occasionally fall from the sky. Powerups can bring downward air strikes, shrink and speed upwardly a plane, enlarge and irksome planes down, restore health, and more. Information technology takes a while to memorize what they do; a list of their effects should have been tucked away in the game somewhere. Also, enemies can and will steal powerups, especially since you tin can't meet off-screen items. This sometimes leads to unfair situations, like when someone in a horde of enemies grabs an item and kills y'all right off the bat. Nobody said it would exist like shooting fish in a barrel!

Tough but then beautiful

MiniSquadron Freeze Willy

While the difficulty eventually ramps upwards uninvitingly, the same tin't be said for MiniSquadron's visuals. The second rendered aircraft take an endearingly cartoonish await that'south even more pronounced with the stranger designs like a man-dead airplane and flying squid. Precipitous smoke furnishings ensure you'll never lose track of even the speediest on-screen planes.

Even the menu system shows a high level of artistic polish and flourish. The menus don't use the Metro design, only who cares when they wait and then sharp? Dissimilar that darn burn down button, these buttons are ever large and easy to press. Every fourth dimension you lot visit the title screen, a different stage appears behind the game's logo – a cool touch.

MiniSquadron's soundtrack deserves special praise also. Each stage has its own classical melody, rendered in satisfying midi style. A couple of the tracks audio besides sedate for combat, but 'Moonlight Sonata' and 'Ride of the Valkyries' can't be trounce. Cheque out our previous article for the full track list.

The glitches

At present, a number of bugs and glitches threaten to mar MiniSquadron's otherwise engaging experience. We already covered a control issues that prevents the virtual stick from working – thankfully that 1 has a simple workaround. Game-crashing bugs are another matter. For example, playing as Jimbo the flying squid frequently kills the game, presumably due to his behemothic slowdown-inducing laser. Considering how much work it takes to unlock him, it's frustrating not even being able to use the guy.

Achievements

MiniSquadron Map

You might expect a tough game likeMiniSquadronto have some hard Achievements, and you'd be right. Some Achievements, like killing 20 enemies without taking a hit, will probably come with exercise. Merely unlocking Freeze Willy, the final aeroplane, may be out of reach of many players due to the Snow Hope level'southward absurd difficulty.

Nonetheless, 'Indestructible' makes those tasks await like walking while chewing bubblegum. First off, beating every level with three lives remaining is asking a lot when most players won't even exist able to terminate the later levels without continuing (and sometimes 1-up hearts just don't want to spawn). Nor does the game feature a mode to rails progress towards the Achievement. Simply all of that is moot anyway considering the Achievement is but plain broken and incommunicable to attain. Since information technology'due south worth an irksome 50 GamerScore, fifty-fifty the most skilled pilots can't earn more than 150 GS from this title. It might be prudent to contact Supermono and ask for a fix.

Overall Impression

MiniSquadron stands out from the Xbox Live crowd with its large and endearing assortment of aircraft, splendid graphics and sound, and highly challenging (but fun!) gameplay. It's just a shame that the hardcore players who would otherwise gravitate towards the shmup-like gameplay and claiming will likely be scared away by that giant, nasty broken Achievement. Hopefully Supermono and Fat Pebble practice the right affair and patch up their game'due south glitches. Though bugs riddle its fuselage like bullets, MiniSquadron manages to be one of the most enjoyable Windows Phone games I've played in a long fourth dimension.

MiniSquadron costs $two.99 and there is a free trial. Touch downwardly here on the Marketplace to get it.

QR: MiniSquadron

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