Sky Wings: Pixel Fighter 3D 3.2.15

That's right! The only type of game where the "Game Over" message holds a particular significance is the pure arcade game. In this instance, we're talking about the Korean-made top-down shooter Retro Shooting 2018. There are plenty of arcade shooters out there on the Play Store, but many of them fall short in some aspect or another. When it comes to Retro Shooting, however, I love every aspect of it!

It's self-evident that rail shooters are perfect for touch controls, and Retro Shooting doesn't drop the ball. Your little fighter-ship moves in perfect unison with the finger movement. You can also set the sensitivity in the controls menu, along with the option for left or right handed interface.

The level progression is also well paced. You will first encounter blind ships that can't shoot at all, but soon enough you'll be facing fire barrages and even seeker missiles. Luckily, your arsenal is not limited to the continuous stream of bullets. Your starting ship also comes equipped with a shield booster, a beam weapon, and a missile swarm. These tools are invaluable to get you out of a tight spot if you use them correctly.

The loot that you accumulate during runs can be spent to upgrade your firepower and weapons, as well as to acquire better ships. Advancing through the levels will also unlock drones, which you can have up to two equipped during any flight. The drones come with specific boosts, which offer some customization, but not enough to turn this arcade shooter into a roguelike.

Completing five levels will unlock the next set, which comes with harder enemies and different terrain decorations. You will also be able to engage the levels you've completed at higher difficulty configurations. Since there are eleven of those, it all sums up to 165 separate challenges. A fairly decent number. If that's not enough, you can also engage in Infinite Mode.

I like that no matter how difficult the situation gets, you're never completely out of options. Whenever there's seemingly no escape, you can boost the shield to pass through deadly barrages, launch missiles to pick off pesky enemies and engage the energy beam to deal concentrated damage to tough enemies.

Final Thoughts

I already stated how much I love the gameplay in Retro Shooting 2018. But what complements it entirely is the neo-retro electronic soundtrack. It's not precisely retrowave, but suits the game nicely, as it gets you into the pace of the action, blood pumping and all. The ad system is very decent, no unsolicited ads are popping up, which I appreciate. The app itself is highly stable and takes up little space. Highly recommended.