As a part of Community Love Week, Game Team One will be playing some of the latest community created games and weighing in on them. We really love seeing how creative all you designers out there can be with the GameSalad toolset!
Today, Chris Kokkinos of Game Team One will review “Alpha Swarm” by GameSalad developer, Eastbound.
As I first opened up Alpha Swarm, I noticed one heavy hitting feature that really grabbed my attention: the opening theme song. I instantly felt compelled to play this game, as it felt more and more as if I were being pulled in to conquer foes, solve puzzles, and beat this game. The game stars “Leroy” the “one eyed alien thing” that looks akin to Wheatley from the popular “Portal” series. Alpha Swarm also features 4 hidden characters that can be unlocked throughout achieving various milestones throughout the game.
The core gameplay of Alpha Swarm is similar to that of an Angry Birds style physics game mixed with an accuracy based platformer in the vein of Team17’s “Worms”. At the beginning of every mission, you get a chance to see an overview of the level and the enemies you have to take on, which allows you to strategize as you select your weapons for traversing through to the finish platform. Which brings me to a really unique approach to strategizing for each level. As you choose your weapons, you need to be mindful of the steps needed to take to reach success, as the selection of your weapons/movements work in the order in which you selected them. This really capitalizes on trying to plan with a bit of foresight. After you’ve selected your weapons and movements, you find yourself going up against various enemies that have weaknesses that can be taken advantage of when selecting your weapons from the weapon select menu.
The game itself, is fun, humorous, addicting, and gives the player what they want in short sessions so the player can enjoy playing the game little by little over an extended period of time if they wanted to. The twitch aiming in the game may be seen by some as a feature, and by others as a minor issue that may need some love. But this alone shouldn’t be enough to push you from checking out this game on the app store.
Don’t take my word for it though, check out the full version of the game “Alpha Swarm” (only $1.99) and give it a go. You won’t be disappointed.
Pros:
– Unlockable content, allowing for extended gameplay
– Short missions allowing for quick game sessions
– Comical artwork/themes throughout the game.
Cons:
– Twitchy weapon usage makes aiming and shooting slightly difficult
