The closest point of reference I can give would be Grasshopper's Sine Mora, minus some of the visual creativity and soul-rendingly bleak storytelling. Sky Force Reloaded is an interesting blend of eastern and western shmup design, with some chunky bullet-soaking enemies, but also some interestingly intricate bullet patterns and a relatively unforgiving health system.
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Now, Infinite Dreams have come on home to PC with Sky Force Reloaded, and might just have a thing or two to teach us about accessibility in the genre.
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Even Japanese bullet-hell monsters Cave began porting their arcade classics to phones and tablets, and the Sky Force series became one of the better-known mobile shooter franchises. I was wrong.Īgainst all odds, the genre flourished. It seemed foolish, and I initially dismissed the original game as being entirely unsuited to the platform. Despite Polish developers Infinite Dreams' origins working on Amiga games, their platform of choice for their flagship shmup series was the iPhone of all things. This doesn’t take too much away from the core experience, but the lack of a really engaging visual style disappoints.As a shmup aficionado, The Sky Force games have always sat on the periphery of my awareness. Sky Force Reloaded is a mish-mash of settings and enemy types from across the genre. More old school shooters like Sine Mora opt for an industrial sci-fi setting that feels distinct and atmospheric. The bright and chunky aesthetic of titles like Graceful Explosion Machine and Super Stardust Ultra set them apart from other examples of the genre.
![sky force reloaded sky force reloaded](http://appcheaters.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Sky-Force-Reloaded-1-e1472268864903.jpg)
The visuals and audio design, while by no means lacking, don't have any originality or flair.
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The story feels tacked on, largely played for laughs with its cartoony dialogue panels and action movie cliches. Human rescues complicate things further, with a small but agonising progression meter that must be filled before you pick them up.Īway from the enjoyment of incremental power creep, the game's quality dips in more fundamental areas. This adds an extra element of danger to navigating incoming projectiles as you duck and weave to try and grab an upgrade. There’s yet more power to be gained within the stages themselves, however, as glowing enemies drop weapon upgrades that boost your guns above and beyond base damage for the duration of the stage. Much like the aforementioned Mega Man series, the feeling of not only emulating, but surpassing the power witnessed in that opening level feels great. The ones that escape sting the most, because at the core of Sky Force’s progression is the collection of stars.
![sky force reloaded sky force reloaded](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Y8VRjK2YKK8/maxresdefault.jpg)
It can be a disheartening experience at first, with even the basic enemy types taking a few shots to down and some evading your glacial blaster shots entirely. This is promptly stripped from you as the game begins proper, leaving you piloting a ship that feels like it's made of paper with a pea shooter attached to it. With an opening power switcheroo reminiscent of Metroid or Mega Man X, you’re offered a tantalising look at the devastating power of your ship in the opening section.
![sky force reloaded sky force reloaded](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/08/f7/d0/08f7d01c11facb9d9467b309193f1e07.jpg)
It would be easy to be cynical and dismiss this as just another throwback, but there's a lot that succeeds here, not least the solid progression system. Meanwhile, the little humans that you rescue let out a comedic yell of victory when picked up. Vibrant primary colours and particle heavy explosions abound. A pumping synth score and digitised voices congratulating and commiserating ("NICE!", "chain lost"). The similarities with PlayStation 4 classics like Resogun are apparent from the outset.
![sky force reloaded sky force reloaded](https://www.gamespew.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Sky-Force-Anniversary-3-min-696x391.jpg)
For a remake of a decade old mobile game that liberally cribs from every other scrolling arcade shooter on the market, Infinite Dreams’ Sky Force Reloaded is a surprisingly addictive title.