Weaving my way through countless fighter planes and turrets, I almost feel overwhelmed trying to reach the next level. With literally a thousand bullets flying everywhere on the screen, one small distraction could turn my plane into smoldering pieces and end the game. Yes, I am referring to a shmup. Bullet hell. That’s what Sky Force has, and lots of it. With bullet hell shooters, one can imagine all the things happening on-screen and with Sky Force, it’s-no different.

Gameplay 10/10

The gameplay basically consists of trying to keep your plane alive long enough to advance to the next level. This involves destroying enemy aircraft, dodging an endless array of hectic bullets, and defeating end-of-level bosses.

Boasting three levels of difficulty, Sky Force appeals to both the hardcore and casual gamer. Playing on easy mode, there’s less % to accomplish and the enemies are less aggressive. On normal mode, everything is normal and in hard mode, there’s more % to accomplish and the enemies are more aggressive. The stages are categorized by easy, normal, and hard to further accommodate the player.

Now, no shoot ’em up is complete without power-ups and Sky Force is no exception. Filled with5 power-ups, the player can choose to one shoot, double shoot, missile, or laser his enemy. On the defensive, the player has the option to use shields if the power-up is acquired.

Graphics 10/10

Personally, I thought Sky Force‘s graphics were amazing and a beauty to look at. While some of the in-game animations were a bit blurry, overall everything seemed top-notch. Zooming overhead the seas in a tiny red ship, guns blazing, aircraft exploding left and right, it’s easy to say that Sky Force‘s graphics really sucked you into the gameplay. Time and time again, it almost seemed obligatory to push pause and just marvel at the retro scenery. With everything from battleships to 3D towers looming over blue seas, Sky Force has it all, and in beautifully rendered graphics.

Controls 8/10

During the entire game, your little plane is shooting non-stop. I personally would’ve liked controls that implement a firing button, but some see this as just something more to clutter up the screen. Using touch controls, the little plane is controlled by wherever you slide your finger. An option for accelerometer-based controls is included. Again, just a personal choice here, but I preferred playing with touch controls, although using the accelerometer was also very comfortable.

Sound 10/10

One of the first things you’ll notice about Sky Force is the retro soundtrack. Matching with the graphics, in-game sounds are most certainly a blast from the past, and in a good way. While some might argue that the sound effects are dated and can’t really compete with newer shoot-em-ups, I found them to be quite fitting and neat to listen to.

Longevity 7/10

During play, I was a bit dubious about how much replay value Sky Force would have. On one hand the levels are a little short, but there are 8 of them. On the other hand, most people are content with just replaying through some of the stages. So concerning replay value, I’d say Sky Force is certainly fun to play through once, but after that, gameplay might get stale. A somewhat lack of storyline only makes this decision a little more tough.

Cost 10/10

Sitting at $1.99, Sky Force is not only a bargain, but a steal for shoot-’em up lovers out there. If you missed the sale of $0.99 a while back, the asking price of 1.99 is still a pretty good deal.

Conclusion 55/60 – 5/5

With an almost overwhelmingly large amount of enemy projectile flying at you from all directions, Sky Force calls for some seriously good reaction time. That being said, it’s an incredibly great game and really nice to play if you’re into retro shmups, and action-packed gameplay.

Sky Force on the App Store.