Dropship ($0.99, download) is a subpar space shooter from iFund developers ngmoco that features frustrating controls and repetitive gameplay. It does have an interesting control scheme. Steering and shooting is handled with controls that appear wherever you touch the screen. However, they are frustrating and sluggish to use. As the game progresses, the ship must navigate through tighter and tighter spaces, and the controls are just not up to the task. Overall, the game has some polish in its graphical design, but gameplay feels incomplete and redundant–there are no major twists as the game progresses. In the end, the game is frustrating to play and does not have much replay value. It’s too bad, because the game shows promise in its ingenuity. We are rating Dropship a 6.4 out of 10, below average.
Dropship features two modes of game play: campaign and free play. In campaign mode, the object is to find and lift a rectangular box called a pod. You lift the pod by touching it with your ship, causing a grappling hook to attach. Once the pod is attached, a timer appears, and you must navigate your ship and the dangling pod through caverns and upward into deep space before the timer runs out. Along the way, you can save humans that are scattered about for extra points.
If the ship or pod touches a wall, the pod drops, and you must pick it up again. You also have to deal with avoiding enemy fire, destroying enemies, and collecting fuel for your ship. Unfortunately, the ship is so sluggish to control, most of your focus will be on trying to steer the ship correctly.
The campaign mode features 18 levels, with extra levels available that can be downloaded inside the game’s menu.
There is also a mode of play called free play. In free play, the object is to rescue all the humans, which you do by touching them with your ship. The number of humans increases with each level, along with the number of enemies.
The controls for the game appear when you touch the screen on the left and right sides. The left side is for steering, and the right side is for firing. Wherever you touch the screen, a large circle will appear surrounding your finger. Dragging your finger in a certain direction will steer or fire in the same direction. It’s an interesting design that, if it was balanced and finely tuned, could potentially work very well. But that’s the not the case here, and the ship is sluggish to steer.
The game has a retro-arcade feel, with a classic 2-D look that periodically shifts into a 3D perspective. Again, it’s interesting in theory, but in practice it often adds to the frustration. The game makes it hard to maintain your bearings. I was frequently disorientated when there was no way to know what was open space or what was rock, as both have the exact same color.
Conclusion
Dropship has the feel of an experiment. While developers might find some of the unique design elements interesting, gamers will only find frustrating controls and a limited range of game play. There are much better uses of your time in the App store.
Name: Dropship
Developers: ngmoco
Version Reviewed: 1.0
Price: $0.99
Download: 