Android Magazine 58 - 2015 UK

Games

Raywar: Pandemonium

A real blast from the past

which the aim is simply to survive

wave after wave of enemies. On the

other hand, the Stages mode

requires you to reach the target

score to proceed to the next level.

Co-op is a two-player mode requiring

two external controllers.

In all of these game types, the

main shoot-’em-up action is pretty

similar. You move your ship around

with the left stick while aiming its

blasters with the right stick.

Fortunately, you can reposition the

on-screen sticks to your preference;

we’d also recommend the Auto

Pauseoptionthattriggerswhenever

youreleasethescreen.

Destroyed enemies leave behind

frags for you to collect to multiply

your score and increase lives. As you

level up, you unlock new abilities –

such as turrets and smart bullets –

and alternative ships. Since these

can be used on subsequent

attempts, there’s a good incentive to

keep playing. If the default Hard

mode proves frustrating, switching to

Easy provides some respite and lets

you learn tactics for dealing with

certain foes. For instance, flying into

the red hexagons releases you from

their tractor beams while destroying

nearby enemies in the blast.

The Stages mode currently only

features14stagesplusaboss,so

we hope the developer will expand

this at some point.

Like so many other

twin-stick shooters that

take inspiration from

the Geometry Wars games,

Raywar: Pandemonium is a classy

affair with much to appreciate.

The over-the-top visual effects are

a feast for the eyes and the slick

synth soundtrack also adds to the

great retro ambience.

Three main modes provide a

good range of game options.

Survive mode offers four variants:

Chaos, Minefield (with no

weapons), Waves and Die Hard, in

Smash your ship into those red hexagons to

unleash a blast wave

The eye-boggling vector visuals are over the top, but we love them

» Price Free + IAPs

» Designed for Phone and tablet

» Requires Android^ 4.0 and up

Rugby Nations 16 A bit of a rough simulation

With its numerous phases

of play and complex rules,

Rugby isn’t the easiest

sport to simulate. Rugby Nations 16

is a decent attempt, although unless

you fork out £3.99/$4.99 to unlock

the full game – whose seven modes

include World Cup and Career – you’ll

be limited to a friendly half-match

between two set teams. The

controls work fairly well, combining

tilt control for player movement and

gestures for various actions. For

instance, just tap or hold either side

of the screen for a short or long pass

respectively. Upward swipes are

used to add more players to a ruck or

add momentum to a scrum. Since

swipes are also used to kick the ball,

this can result in an accidental boot

way up the fi eld. Still, since the AI

opponents don’t appear to have that

much between their caulifl ower ears,

mistakes don’t often prove too costly

in the gameplay.

HoPiKo

Can you save the world of

gaming as we know it?

»Price£2.99/$3.99

» Designed for Phone and tablet

» Requires Android^ 2.3.3 and up

Swipe or tap to jump between platforms and

rescue the HoPiKo

Gaming has been dead for

years. At least according to

the scene-setting

introduction to this pixel-art

platformer. The tiny HoPiKo creatures

that live in consoles and make them

work have been enslaved by the

Nanobytes virus, rendering the game

machines completely useless. The

solution is to release the imprisoned

HoPiKo on a series of platform

stages. You only get a few seconds

to rescue them on each stage so the

gameplay is very twitchy with hardly

any time to think. Simple controls

involve swiping to aim your

character’s jump or just pressing and

releasing to time it perfectly. Either

way, you need to get him to hop

between platforms to reach the

HoPiKo in time. Some levels also

contain bonus tunes to unlock for

the chiptune soundtrack.

Instant death is everywhere, from

exploding platforms to collisions with

moving hazards. While lives are

infi nite, die and you’re sent back to

the start of the current group of fi ve

stages, so it can get a bit frustrating.

However, it’s also extremely

addictive and the option to watch a

replay of a failed stage can help you

fi gure out what to do next time.

Swipe repeatedly upwards on the screen to

win scrums and rucks

»like this? try this!

RETRY » Precision timing is

required as you tap the screen to

fl y a stunt plane around each level.