Sky Force Reloaded Review

A port of the free-to-play mobile game of the same name, Infinite Dreams’ Sky Force Reloaded is now available on Steam and consoles. There is no shortage of shoot-em-ups on the market today – does this game stand out enough to make it worth your while?

Sky Force Reloaded Review

After getting shot down in the opening, players must work their way through 13 stages, all while building their ship up from scratch. This is one of those games where players shoot first and ask questions later – everything is a target, and it is safe to hold down the fire button for the duration of the game. There is some variety in the form of humans that can be saved, but by and large you’ll be shooting ad infinitum.

Unfortunately, the game doesn’t have much of a personality to call its own. The world and ships all blend together into a drab blob after a while, and though there is a villian in the form of “Scarlett Mantis,” the whole package just screams “generic.”

This wouldn’t be a problem if the gameplay was solid, but everything here moves far too slow. Starting out, your ship has a pea shooter that barely does any damage. Though weapon upgrades can be found from strategically colored ships and your ship can be upgraded in the hangar, the difficulty curve is way out of whack. The game isn’t exactly difficult – the ships fly right at you, and the lackadaisical pace of the enemy fire means that you can often clear stages without taking a single hit. Those that collect new ships and upgrade their current one will find that the game is a cakewalk when all is said and done. More difficult modes can be unlocked, but this definitely errs on the side of more casual play.

That’s not to say there aren’t some cheap shots though. Some levels can be breezed through, while others can see you getting boxed in and losing everything with a single laser attack. These moments are unfair, and come at a moment’s notice.

Players can achieve combat multipliers, collect medals for achieving certain goals on the battlefield (like shooting down a set amount of enemies or not taking any hits), and collecting stars from fallen enemies. It’s real basic stuff, and while the core game only lasts a handful of hours, there is a number of things to upgrade and achieve for the perfectionists out there.

There is also the option to bring a friend along for the game, and also take part in a number of Weekend Tournaments. However, unless you really like the game, many will not be coming back.

Sky Force Reloaded is the FDA generic version of the shoot-em-up. Everything is so plain, and the lack of personality will dissuade all but the most hardcore of shmup fans.