iFighter ($0.99, download) is an excellent WWII-era fighter game with sharp, detailed graphics and engrossing game play. As with many iPhone games, the controls are not quite perfect but, overall, iFighter is beautifully rendered, and its challenging game play fits perfectly onto the iPhone platform. We rate it a 7.8 out of 10, recommended.
There are three control schemes for iFighter, and the developers made the baffling choice of choosing the worst of the bunch as the default: tilt motion. In the settings menu, you should switch to swipe, which allows you to direct the plane by dragging your finger around the screen.
The game is made up of missions, and each mission ends with a battle against a powerful boss (megasized battleships, superbombers, etc). Once you complete a mission, the game saves your progress and you can start over at the beginning of any one.
The types of enemies you’ll be facing are mostly WWII-era anti-aircraft guns, tanks, battleships, and bombers, although some jets and other slightly more modern equipment appear in later stages.
A battleship's AA guns get a few hits in.
iFighter is a difficult game. Don’t be surprised if you’re repeatedly destroyed in Mission 1. In fact, I’ve played several hours of the game and still can’t beat Mission 3 on Easy mode. I haven’t even bothered to try out Medium and Hard yet. That’s not to say it’s not worth the try. Like any good challenge, there are a few tricks to learn before you become successful.
One of those tricks is keeping your fighter alive by upgrading its weapons and defense systems along the way. To upgrade, you collect bonus items that enemies drop after being killed (see our iFighter game tips). Besides guns, your other two weapons are bombs and “wingmen.”
The bombs are your most powerful offensive weapon that will destroy just about everything on screen and get you out of quite a few scrapes. They come in limited supply, so you’ll want to use them wisely.
Your best defensive weapons are two “wingmen” that you can gain from dropped bonus items. The wingmen are two small planes that fly alongside and protect your flanks by taking hits for you (they also have guns that fire). Wingmen can be destroyed, so try to keep them alive and build a good backup supply.
My only complaint about iFighter is a flaw in game design. Enemy planes often fly up from the bottom of the screen and crash directly into yours before you can react. This can be prevented by keeping your plane toward the center of the screen. The problem is, if you’re using the swipe controls, you hand mostly obscures the bottom of the screen. Frequently, you can die without seeing what happened.
Conclusion
iFighter is a polished WWII fighter game with slick graphics. Be prepared for a difficult but fun game that’s totally worth the challenge. 7.8 out of 10, recommended.
Name: iFighter
Developer: Epicforce
Version Reviewed: 1.3
Price: $0.99
iTunes Link: Download
#1 by SodaBoss on January 30th, 2010
Quote
“My only complaint about iFighter is a flaw in game design. Enemy planes often fly up from the bottom of the screen and crash directly into yours before you can react.”
This is not a flaw in game design! It is completely purposeful and part of the game. If the game creators made it so planes only came from the front, this game would get lame and fast. Making planes come from all sides makes it riveting to play and will keep you on edge watching for planes on all four corners.