We first came across Luftrausers at the Euro gamer Expo where
it was set over in a corner with little explanation about how to play it. After
attempting a few flights we gave up after dying within seconds. We’re pleased to
say that now we have got hold of it on a home system and spent some quality
time with it that the game absolutely shines.
The game is quite simple in concept- you launch your little
plane and fly around an arena shooting down enemies and blowing up ships in
order to build a high score. The top and bottom of arena are bordered by a
cloud bank and water and you can infinitely fly left and right. It’s not dissimilar
to something like Time Pilot crossed with Defender. To start with you are only
dealing with small planes, but the longer you last and the more you shoot down
the bigger and more difficult the enemies become.
There are a whole host of planes and ships to take on and
each of them have their own characteristics and ways they must be approached. Planes
are soon joined by super-fast jets and dog fighting aces, while boats become the
side show to missile launching submarines and full on battle ships. Soon you’ll
be weaving through inches of space as the screen fills with gun fire. Survive
long enough and you might get to see the laser ace or the dreaded blimp.
Controlling your Rauser is easy but a little unconventional.
You have your standard fire button but movement is more about momentum than
just pushing a direction. Pressing up or the shoulder button propels you
forward and you can then use the direction buttons to steer. This allows you to
perform stalls and dives and turn the tables quickly on pursuing attackers. It
might take a little while to get used to but it works perfectly once you get
the hang of it. You’re plane can also take a few hits with releasing the fire
button allowing you to heal.
As you progress you will unlock different parts for the
plane. Each of these adds different properties such as being able to ram things
without taking damage or changing your firing weapon. They all have pros and
cons and there is no such thing as a perfect load out. Each part also has a
number of different challenges to complete which helps to unlock more parts and
raise your Rauser level. Our personal favourite is the part that allows you to
dive into the water without taking damage. With some clever use of components
you can use this and the battering ram part to turn your plane into a water
skimming missile.
What at first seems like it could be a fun five minute game
soon reveals the depth and complexity of its scoring system. There are over a
hundred different combinations of plane parts and challenges continually unlock
as you play and once you take down a blimp it really gets crazy. It’s a high
score game at heart so the more friends you have to show up on the leader board
the better but even taken on its own merit this a game that every Vita owner
should own. It doesn’t seem to fit the PS3 quite so well but that’s mainly down
to the Vita proving to be a natural fit.
Overall, Luftrausers has managed to take all the best
elements from the early days of arcade shooters and package them into this
crazy game. It’s the sort of thing you pick up for five minutes and then put
down two hours later and as a pure gaming test of skill there is very little
else out there to match it.
8/10
No comments:
Post a Comment