Heavy Fire: Special Operations 3D

Terrorists, huh? Just think how many war video games we'd have been deprived of if it wasn't for them. Those lovable scallywags.

Heavy Fire: Special Operations 3D is another title that would have never seen the light of day were it not for those terrorist-y types, what with it being a terrorist shooter simulation an' all.

To be honest, there's absolutely nothing wrong with Teyon's mission-based first-person shooter, which plays out like a classic arcade shooter.

The problem is that, well, it doesn't do anything particular new or special. This is a bog-standard arcade shooter if ever we saw one - and we've seen tons.

Load-bearing

A rebel group has taken over an area in the Middle East and killed hundreds of people. You've been sent in as part of an elite army unit to liberate the Middle Eastern city and restore balance.

On each level, the camera pans to a scene which then fills with members of the rebel forces. Once you've killed all those enemies, the screen moves onto another area, and you kill some more enemies. Rinse, repeat, rinse, repeat, celebrate.

Heavy Fire: Special Operations 3D does exactly what it says on the tin - keeps you under fire constantly. By aiming with the touchscreen and hitting a shoulder button, you can tear through the baddies and blow up some suspiciously placed explosive barrels while you're at it.

Apart from a few jagged edges here and there, the game looks the business, and does what it sets out to achieve quite well. You collect cash during each mission, and can buy new weapons with that money. So, there is reason to go back and have another crack at past missions.

Furthermore, there are special bonus points available that you can pick up for scoring headshots and setting off environmental kills. It's a tidy package, for sure.

We didn't start the fire

Here's the thing, though: Heavy Fire: Special Operations 3D isn't really all that exciting, no matter how well put together it all is.

The enemies are pretty robotic, simply running onto the screen right in front of you, turning, and then firing repeatedly. It doesn't feel as the dev has put any thought into making the experience tense or entertaining. It's simply 'bang bang, you're dead, move on'.

On top of this, you can't take cover from gunfire, which is incredibly strange. At times, you'll have up to 10 enemies shooting at you at once, meaning you'll no doubt get hit by someone, especially given that you have to reload.

For the cheap asking price, you'll get an evening or two of shooty shooty goodness out of Heavy Fire: Special Operations 3D. In essence, it will neither blow your mind, nor lull you to sleep.

Heavy Fire: Special Operations 3D

Heavy Fire: Special Operations 3D is a decent arcade-style war shooter, though it lacks that winning edge
Score
Mike Rose
Mike Rose
An expert in the indie games scene, Mike comes to Pocket Gamer as our handheld gaming correspondent. He is the author of 250 Indie Games You Must Play.