iPhone App: Dropship
= 4 stars
Dropship is a retro action arcade game where you navigate a small ship above a planetary surface to retrieve hidden cargo.
The Good
- The controls feature a really cool use of the iPhone’s multi-touch. The left side of the touch screen moves the ship while the right side fires this ship’s weapon. The amount of thrust and direction is communicated by cool, Minority Report style circles that constantly change size and rotation.
- The multi-level campaign centers around picking up cargo from increasingly complex subterranean passages, but there’s another mode where you just rescue humans.
- Pleasingly retro. The glowing lines recall Atari vector graphics. The hapless planet-bound humans reference Defender and the dual controls resemble the dual joysticks of Robotron. And does anyone else remember Lunar Lander?
- Fun, extra details: The humans have names pulled from your contacts (cute), an inventive variety of enemies, special achievements, and downloadable levels.
- Definitely falls into that very appealing, simple to learn, difficult to master category.
The Bad
- The sound occasionally changes volume, specifically at the start of a new level. There might be some controls on the touch surface that I’m not aware of.
- The perspective shifts at times can get a bit disorienting. Generally, the camera moves closer when your ship is nearer to the planet surface, but the correlation isn’t clear.
Conclusion
Dropship is a total steal at $1.99 and at 99 cents, there’s no reason not to download it. It’s so excellent, I intend to try all the games from developer ngmoco.
iTunes App Store Link: 