TriBlaster Review

By , on March 26, 2014
Last modified 10 years ago


TriBlaster
  • Publisher: oeFun, Inc.
  • Genre: Casual
  • Released: 20 Mar, 2014
  • Size: 103.9 MB
  • Price: $2.99
Download on the AppStore
4 out of 5

PROS

  • Crisp and clean visual design
  • Responsive controls
  • Satisfying fast paced action

CONS

  • Replaying early stages becomes repetitive

VERDICT

While TriBlaster borrows heavily from the arcade classic Tempest, its tinkers with the formula just enough to stand apart as an enjoyable retro blaster.


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If you've ever seen the 1981 arcade game Tempest in action, then TriBlaster’s influences will be immediately apparent. The new tube shooter utilises the same visual style and gameplay mechanics as the Atari classic, but it does so with enough flair to make it feel fresh.

TriBlaster's early stages look like you are standing at the blocks of a neon-soaked 100m race track. As you progress though the levels, the shape of these stages begins to warp and twist to awesome effect, leading to a screen filled with beautiful geometric patterns.

You control a triangle that rolls along a baseline beneath these patterns, blasting at enemies. The movement is handled by sliding your finger along the base of the screen, with your triangle moving faster or slower depending on how far you move your finger from the center.

As you move, your triangle unleashes its weapons along the stage’s parallel tracks. Early enemies are simple, rolling unremarkably towards you, before exploding impressively when hit. As the levels progress opponents become increasingly challenging, taking more hits and using various attack patterns in order to destroy you.

Simply moving back and forth is enough to clear the early stages. While this simplicity is fine on your first playthough, you will find yourself replaying these simplistic stages time and again to reach the first checkpoint at level 25.

Defeating enemies charges your beam weapon, letting you to release a satisfying stream of death every now and then. You also have the ability to jump, allowing you to leap back from the baseline and take out any enemies that cannot be hit by your front facing arsenal. It’s a tiny addition, but one that adds some welcome tactical complexity to the twitch reaction gameplay.

While the similarities between Tempest and TriBlaster are shameless, it adds enough to the formula to exist on its own merits. This, combines the fact it is a genre less often seen on the App Store, make TriBlaster worth a try.

Screenshots

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