Sky Force Reloaded Review - Challenging gameplay
Sky Force is a pretty old franchise that we have seen on the PlayStation platforms before. The most recent part is Sky Force Reloaded, which we have been able to experience extensively. The game offers relatively classic gameplay, colorful levels and plenty of action, but we must not forget the big challenge. The game came without too much tamtam, but proves to be recommended thanks to the good and fun gameplay.
Story... well
Sky Force Reloaded tells a story through some speech bubbles and that should be the red thread in the campaign. It is nice that the developer has taken the trouble to give some context, but it is not really interesting. In fact, after ten minutes of play, the story had already lost our interest. Normally that is something that can be said about, but in this game it really does not matter. The story could just as well have been omitted, because the focus is on action and that is exactly what the game is doing well.
Forget the story, focus on the action and that with a good focus, because the game is quite difficult. After an opening mission where your heavily advanced ship is destroyed, you are in fact back to where the campaign begins. You are dropped into the first level of the campaign with a base ship and it is important to shoot all the enemies you encounter along the way. This varies from small planes to large helicopters, anti-aircraft guns, buggies and much more. The gameplay is therefore very simple, because the only thing you do time and time again is holding the fire button and avoiding incoming fire.
Save all humans!
Sky Force Reloaded is very reminiscent of Resogun and that is because you get a secondary assignment next to the action. This is namely saving people who are scattered through the levels here and there. By hanging just above them, a meter goes up and once that is full, that person is saved. Of course we know that from Resogun, which was also a task in the challenging levels. Yet the gameplay apart from shooting is significantly different, because in this game you experience the action from a top-down perspective, where enemies initially come from above while you fly up on the screen.
In later levels enemies also come from the side and of course the pressure is increased by more and stronger enemies that you try to eliminate. At the end of a level you will find an end boss and if you know how to beat it, you have of course completed the level. However, the structure of the campaign is somewhat unconventional, because it does not always mean completing a level that automatically clears the next level. Moreover, you will have to play the levels a few times if you want to get to the final boss anyway.
Again and again
Every enemy you shoot will leave a star and you have to pick it up. When you play a level, you get the collected stars that act as credits. Even if you die prematurely, you will be allowed to keep the collected stars and that is very important. Between every death in you will go to the hangar, because there you can buy upgrades for your ship with the collected stars. At first you focus primarily on the basic weapon, which with more upgrades will shoot faster and faster. It is also wise to invest your earned stars in health for your ship, so that you can have more. At a later stage you will also spend your stars on a magnet that attracts new stars, a secondary weapon that is even heavier, a shield and more.
Time and time again you will play the levels again, on the one hand to reach the end, on the other hand to complete the assignments. In addition to that, playing a level more than once is not without merit, because that will result in new upgrades. By continuing to do so, you will at one point have a strong enough ship to reach the end and play later levels. To unlock those later levels, you have to play the previous level anyway. You can also earn medals per level and you get that by saving all people, eliminating 70% of the enemies, eliminating 100% of the enemies and collecting all the stars. In short, the replay value is automatically very high.
Totally fun
Normally, the repetitive action that this game offers is somewhat boring at a given moment. This also applies to this game in the long term, but you will not easily get bored with Sky Force Reloaded. At first it remains especially entertaining, thanks to the fine gameplay and good control. The levels are very varied and colorful and the challenge is just right for the more experienced player. And if you really can not figure it out, you can always call in a friend who assists you in cooperative mode, making it somewhat easier.
The campaign is not even very long, but because you play each level again a dozen times, you are quickly working around the clock to finish the game. You will not get bored quickly, but after two hours you will have seen the same level. With that, Sky Force Reloaded is more of a game for in-between that you pick up for a short while and every time you will be entertained very well. It is a simple game, but because it has an addiction factor, you will return time after time. Something fanatical Resogun players will undoubtedly recognize and that for a price of €9.99 is not crazy.
Conclusion
Sky Force Reloaded is a game that you purchase for the challenging yet smooth and enjoyable gameplay. It is not for everyone, because you have to repeat the same level many times to make progress and that is not for everyone. But if you enjoyed a game like Resogun for example, then this is the game for you. The environments are varied, the bosses are a good challenge and the structure of progress in the game is somewhat unusual, but it does work, because the gameplay creates some slight form of addiction. But know what you're getting into, it's a pretty challenging game that only becomes really satisfying after many hours of play, because then you have all the possibilities at your disposal.
The plus and minus points
✔ Challenging gameplay
✔ Varied levels
✔ Excites some addiction
✔ Interesting progression system ...
✖ ...which in the long term becomes a bit too much of a gravel
✖ Pretty high entry threshold
Thanks for reading, I hope you liked it!
Steem's Popularity Is Incredible!
Share the joy by inviting others!
Get More Exposure On The Chats!
It is a best way to get more exposure through private messages and in the chat rooms. These are some of the best places to get more exposure & makes Steem friends.
- Official Steemit.chat
- SteemSpeak.com @fyrstikken (24/7 Voice chat)
- Peace, Abundance, Liberty @aggroed @canadian-coconut @ausbitbank @teamsteem and More (Minnow Support Project)
For new & best authors to move forward!
http://curiesteem.com @curie
https://steemvoter.com @steemvoter @thecryptodrive @cryptomancer
My Latest Posts:
- Cat Quest Review - Simplicity does not mean that the game is bad
- Lets Sing 2018 Review - wrong tone
- Steep: Road to the Olympics Review - Dive into the game and become champion
- Black Mirror Review - Reboot with a better story
- Doom VFR Review - The demon invasion on Mars continues, now in virtual reality
- The best horror games of 2017 - Play with sweaty hands
- Dead Rising 4 Review: Frank's Big Package - Story fascinating enough
- Max: The Curse of Brotherhood Review - Charming adventure
- .hack // GU Last Recode Review - Interesting characters
- The Surge - A Walk in the Park Review
Ah, another Sky Force franchise fan. Glad to see more of us showing up. I personally love the progression in this game - not bullet hell but not so slow and boring that I give up.
Powering up your plane and beating all of the levels is a tough road to walk - especially since they added another three or so levels since I last played (thank goodness for cloud saves).
I hope they release more shooters in this franchise or explore other options with separate releases.
I have been following Sky Force since the days of the HP iPaq PDA running Windows Mobile 2000.