E for All 2007 Preview
Mobile games cater to simplicity.
You know the kind: basic, straightforward control schemes that don’t have a huge
learning curve.
Most people don’t realize that
simplistic does not necessarily mean easy. Atlantis Sky Patrol is a puzzler that
anyone can learn. However, only a select few will have the strength to master
its growing difficulty.
As you can tell from the screens,
the game shoots ball clusters across each stage’s maze-like path. There are also
balls locked into specific parts of each stage. One ball appears on the platform
(a ship), which may be moved left or right on the bottom of the screen. When you
see two connecting balls that match your ball’s color, fire away. Three balls of
the same color are all the game needs to make a set disappear.
Only three ball colors were seen in
the preview, but more are expected to be available in the final game. Over 100
stages are being constructed for the game, each offering a different pattern for
the ball sets to travel through.
There are three cool twists in the
game that you don’t normally see in a puzzler. The first is the ability to
collect coins. Coins appear frequently but are most plentiful in the shooter
stages, which is twist number two. These stages throw balls across the screen,
Galaga-style, where the balls come in through the top if you miss ‘em the first
time (just like Galaga’s enemies). Shoot ‘em and they split into two; shoot ‘em
again and they’ll split into four. Shoot those tiny balls to release the coins,
and move your ship to grab them. Avoid shooting the spiked ball to get a bonus
at the end.
Twist number three is what the coins
are used for: upgrades. The Accuracy upgrade adds a line that shows your ball’s
path before being shot. Increase your Magnet power to draw coins to your ship.
Disruptor increases the amount of time it takes for new ball herds to appear.
Speed does the obvious (it increases player agility).
Due for release later this year,
Atlantis Sky Patrol is a promising puzzler that should appeal to casual and
hardcore gamers alike.
