Rogue Planet

iTunes Link

Rogue Planet is a turn based strategy game by Gameloft. $4.99

Months and months ago we heard of a game being developed by the people who made 1112 Ep 01. This game was meant to be so good that they even halted development on 1112 Ep 02 so they could get this game finished. Here we are months later with a game that is so good that even Gameloft wanted a piece of it, publishing the game. If one of the biggest and best developers on the App Store wants to get in on the action then why shouldn't get consumers be jumping over each other to play this game?

This game plays much like the GBA and Nintendo DS hit game Advance Wars. The nearest counterpart to this game on the App Store is Mecho Wars. I won't give up too much about the game now, that's saved for people who continue reading this review, but there is quite literally hours upon hours of campaign and free play missions to complete. Even after the first mission this game is working it's way into being a blast.

This game looks. Stunning. Firstly in the battlefield, which there are over 30 unique maps, these look great and close to if not better than the maps on Advance Wars. The surroundings are simple yet effective, with a map that looks nice without having to use so much power that the game becomes laggy. All the different characters and different enemy types are easily distinguished from one another and makes it good for tactical advances.

Another big part of Advance Wars and both Mecho Wars is the awesome looking battle cutscenes. What this means is that whenever you and an enemy attack each other we get a cutscene with a cartoon looking fight. This involves the attacker attacking first and if the other one in the fight is still alive we see them fight. While watching it is pointless and has no huge effect on what happens in the game, it makes the game fun and probably one of the reasons why Advance Wars was so successful. It just gives us a nice break from the map play and adds a bit more thrill and excitement to the experience.

Finally we have our cut scenes between campaigns, which is basically you choosing different locations on the ship to talk to people. The characters and style of these scenes reminds me very much of Mass Effect Galaxy by Electronic Arts. The general consensus with these chats is that the ship has carked it, the enemies are invading and there are no humans left... but in a serious manner. There is no importance to these scenes but they add a nice story to go with the battles.

The basic controls for the game are pretty simple, choose a player to move, touch where you want to go then move/fight someone. What isn't so easy to learn is the actions and symbols that go with this game and I have to say is partly due to how the game is set out. First of all there is no clear cut and simple tutorial to follow which explains all the different options available to you. Instead the first mission is basically just moving your characters without showing you how to perform anything else.

Instead of teaching you the controls with a hands on tutorial, you can get all this information by reading some tips in one of the options. While you do get all the information I find that an interactive tutorial going through how to colonize a building etc. etc. would be handy for first timers.

The basic storyline behind the game is save the world from the evil robots who have seemingly wiped out the human race. Your team has been in space for a number of years and return to find the world eerily empty. As you go to explore you encounter a different life form, some sort of robots who seem to be in control of earth. You fight it out over 19 campaign missions and in the end you ***************************** (Find out for yourself!).

The game is a turned based strategy game, kind of like a more entertaining and way cooler version of Chess. You and the opponent take turns in moving all your army on the map and then ending your turn. If you are within range you can engage in combat with an opponent's army member. There are many different machines and people that are found on the battlefield. Different races will have different effects on the same opponent. For example if you have a tank and a commando, one of these will be more effective against a certain enemy compared to the other.

Not all campaign missions are about killing all the enemy, however doing so will make your tasks a lot easier. Some campaigns require you capture so many buildings or cities while others may require you to get certain members of the army to a specific area. All in all each of the campaigns have some relativity to the storyline presented in the cut scenes.

The game has around 6-8 hours of game time all up, with the 19 campaign missions and 15 casual maps to play around with. For those who friends that also own Rogue Planet you can battle each other via local Wifi or Bluetooth, with Online multiplayer promised in a future update.

This game is very similar to the successful counterpart Advance Wars, but this is a great result for the iPhone. Not only do we get engaging gameplay but also the graphics and sound that make for a great gaming experience. This game will last you for a long time and is a very respectable game for the $4.99 price.

If you are a fan of turn based games or even RTS games like Command & Conquer, Warfare Inc. and The Settlers you will find yourself enjoying this game immensely. There is months of effort and care put into the game, which is quite obvious. This game plays perfectly on an iPhone 3GS right down to the 1st Gen iPod Touch's. So why are you still reading this review? Go pick up Rogue Planet and help us save the world.

Gameplay- 9/10
Graphics- 8.5/10
Sound- 8/10
Overall- 8.5/10

I would recommend this game if you enjoyed- Mecho Wars

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