Developed by the indie studio Mediatonic and billed as a side scrolling shooter meets tower defence (with courtroom drama and intrigue), Who's That Flying!? is hard not to like.
Priced at £3.99 and bringing back old school memories of R-Type and Xenon, Who's That Flying!? tells the tale of Earths protector in the Galactic Council of Space Justice. Put on trial after Earth is attacked by some big black and purple monsters called Ravengers, the levels are played out as the trial proceeds.
Each section of the game features three levels, all set in the same city. As you progress from left to right, you have to prevent the Ravengers from passing you by shooting them. On paper, it sounds quite simple, but when you throw in a few big worms that spit out electric lightening, it can get quite complicated.
It's quite a neat little mechanic (and only introduced in the second level), that forces the gamer to move their character around a bit.
Later the game features bigger monsters to take out and as a result, the standard practice of shooting them requires a little more effort and at the correct time, you need to hit the R button and keep taping X, as your character slices away at him with a lazer sword.
Naturally, the more Ravengers you kill, the more your hyperbeam goes up. Once it gets up to a respectable amount, you can press the square button and for a limited time your lazer gun gets a nifty upgrade.
Visually, the game is sharp and vibrant. However, the level design is quite repetitive and a bit of variety with the environments would freshened things up a bit - perhaps a few buildings to avoid smashing into mid level. On the audio side if things, theres a few nice little touches including the fact that each city, from New York to Mexico is represented by an appropriate theme.
All in all, despite it's minor flaws, at £3.99 you cannot go wrong for this 2D shotter. It's fast paced, colourful and exciting - ideal for both the handheld PSP and it's bigger brother, the Playstation 3.
Who's That Flying!? is also available to purchase on Steam, priced at £5.99.
Verdict: 7.5 out of 10
The Good
Fast paced fun
Colourful
Cheap
The not so good
Bit repetitive
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