Sometimes a game doesn't need to be too complicated to grab your attention. Critical Wave by Grannies Games may just be another twin-stick shooter with neon graphics, but with its unique gameplay and evolving level bosses it's hard to put down.
The controls are streamlined for the touch device with no wasted buttons in odd positions. Special weapons are deployed either by touching the outside edge of your weapon control stick or double tapping the stick for a secondary special attack. Gameplay is relatively simple, with waves of enemies being deployed before the level's final boss. Mini-bosses become a regular addition as you continue, but prove to be more of a roadblock than a challenge.
The graphics are slick and the music pumps out a quick-fire bass beat, but what really shines is the boss growth. With each successive level the boss grows more armor, more weapons and quickly becomes a fortress that overwhelms the screen. For shoot'em up fans, it's almost reminiscent of the classic game Warning Forever by Hikoza T.
There are no extra features to support Critical Wave besides a simple difficulty switch for new games, but its ever-changing set of challenges will be more than enough to satisfy most casual and serious gamers.
Description
OMNI DIRECTIONAL SHOOTER ☆ FEATURED BY APPLE IN NEW AND NOTEWORTHY AND WHAT'S HOT!
Critical Wave is a dual stick shooter built specifically for the iPhone and iPod touch. This game will give you hours of fun, as you blast your way through endless waves of enemies and battle giant evolving bosses. Amazing visuals coupled with varied gameplay make this easily one of the top-ranked shooters on the AppStore! Use either dual stick or tilt control to navigate your ship. Upgrades include shockwave, laser, vulcan and missiles.
* REQUIRES iOS 4.1+
* COMPATIBLE WITH ALL iDEVICES
REVIEWS
AppAdvice.com - 4/5 Stars: "Once you get into the action you’ll be instantly hooked."
AppModo.com - "Critical Wave is indeed one of the best dual stick shooters on the app store.To be considered as the best, that’s left for you to decide!"
SlideToPlay.com - "If you're looking for a pocket-sized bundle of action that'll get your blood pumping, Critical Wave is just the ticket."
AppAddict.net - "The graphics are simply stunning."
PocketGamer.co.uk - "Critical Wave is genuinely brilliant stuff, and has evidently been built with great flair, and a passion for the genre"
MobileTechReview - "There is no denying that this might truly be the current king of dual stick shooters!"
FEATURES
- Bosses that keep growing each level
- Many enemy types and mini bosses
- Upgrades and powerups
- Game Center online leaderboards
- iOS4 multi tasking & retina graphics
- The sharpest graphics available on the AppStore
- Varied and intense gameplay, guaranteed to give hours of fun!
What's New in Version 1.7
- Added weekly and all-time leaderboard views. The default will be to show the ranking of the past seven days,
- Fixed device compatibility with older iDevices. The game supports iOS versions all the way back to 4.1 again,
- Updated missile trail drawing to create less noise when firing lots of missiles. This should help during later levels to retain overview,
- Improved the balance during higher-level boss battles. The game was originally balanced for the first generation iPhone and iPod touch. These devices experienced frame drops during later levels, which actually worked to the advantage of the player because the reduced game speed made it easier to dodge enemy fire and survive longer. New hardware has become fast enough (too fast! :P) to run the game at a constant 60 FPS. To rebalance the game, the game speed is now scaled accordingly during boss battles if the game is running 'too fast'.
