The game was chosen for its variety of single- and multiplayer modes and spectacular array of visual effects that elevate what is possible for mobile gaming. Mountain View, CA – J– Atypical Games, the premier maker of combat flight games for mobile devices, announced today that Sky Gamblers: Storm Raiders was honored with an Apple Design Award at the 2013 WWDC Worldwide Developers Conference. It’s decent fun for the most part, but not as much fun as it could have been.Grab it today to see why, with a special price of just $0.99 for a limited time The controls are too small and occasionally unresponsive, the HUD has a tendency to avoid sharing important information, and the single player missions – while appreciated – could have been a lot better. Sky Gamblers: Cold War seems like it should be a great title for air combat fans, but it puts the focus too much on quantity over quality. They tend to last too long and feel drawn out, often subscribing to an overly simple “go here, shoot down planes, now go here, shoot down planes, etc” structure and when they don’t follow that pattern (such as with the second mission where players control a machine gun turret on a helicopter), they’re even more underwhelming. On top of all that, the single player campaign missions are pretty bad. Important information such as flag carrier locations during CTF matches is incredibly difficult to figure out. The buttons for firing missiles and machine guns also feel too small and don’t always trigger when I think I’ve tapped them. The virtual stick controls don’t always respond as they should, and the hit box feels too small. The problem is, for all its options and modes, Sky Gamblers: Cold War drops the ball constantly when it comes to gameplay. I think it’s the fact that the tilt controls can be re-calibrated easily and have a small “dead zone” that pretty much eliminates the need to constantly readjust my course when simply trying to fly straight. And I have to admit: I actually found the accelerometer controls to be preferable to the virtual stick, which is something I wasn’t expecting. The sheer volume of playable modes and planes is also really, really impressive. It’s not a true substitution for actual player skill, but it’s a neat way for more casual iOS gamers to try their hand at being a flying ace, and it’s a fantastic way to show off the visuals without breaking the player’s concentration.
There’s also a surprisingly cool autopilot mode that can be turned on, which will maneuver the plane automatically while players just worry about attacking when the reticles line up. There are quite a few camera options, including an “inside the cockpit” view complete with control panels most of which can also be adjusted temporarily with a swipe of the finger. I was definitely impressed by the visuals in Sky Gamblers: Cold War, but I was even more impressed with how many different ways the player is able to enjoy them. As players shoot down enemy planes, they’ll earn Ace Points, and the more Ace Points they have, the more planes they’ll be able to use throughout all the different game modes (except the campaign). Even the controls offer up several options like virtual stick movement and several different types of accelerometer choices. It’s also filled with lots of different planes, each with their own performance stats.
It features a single player campaign, wave survival, dogfights, Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Base Defense, Capture the Flag, Last Man Standing, and a free flight mode, as well as several options for online play. Sky Gamblers: Cold War offers something for everyone. However, it’s also distinctly lacking the latter.
Sky Gamblers: Cold War is absolutely brimming with the former, so much so that it can be difficult to know where to begin.
I like aviation and warplanes as much as the average person, but for an air combat game to really hold my attention, it needs to offer two things: options and fun.