Game Reviews

Super Rocket Plunder

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Super Rocket Plunder

Whilst you were at CES deciding which part of your body you want the gadget makers to snatch next, Arukari Arcade quietly launched its debut game into the mobile stratosphere.

Super Rocket Plunder is a retro-style arcade shoot-'em-up. Serving up great steaming bowls of sci-fi soup, it still finds the time to season the experience with some fun twists that transport a '90s premise into the modern day.

'Hyper Drive Mach IIs' and 'Amplified Plasma Rippers' are the order of the day here, tearing through hordes of googly-eyed aliens with the same zealous enthusiasm that I may exhibit when confronted with an open box of Cadbury's Milk Tray.

Reach for the stars

Your job, an 'Attack of the Gorq' comic will inform you upon opening the game, is to defend Planet Vulcan from a wave of alien attacks.

These persistent extra-terrestrials are after the gem-rich soil that your home planet harbours and - as always - you're the only one that can defend it.

The twist, however, lies in the weapon you're given to do so. Metamorphic cyberdrills may sound like an odontophobic's worst nightmare, but they're actually a type of spacecraft.

You are launched from home soil into the furthest reaches of space, taking out as many of the Gorq aliens as you can before transforming into a giant drill.

Once morphed, you then ride a charged Jetstream called ‘The Thunderline' back down to Vulcan's surface, drilling down into the core of the planet where gems can be collected to improve the space craft's attack, defense, and burrowing capabilities.

Upgrade your ship and you'll be able to launch further into space and drill deeper into the ground, racking up higher scores and securing more plunder.

It's a decent premise that does a good job of polishing up what could be a simple launch arcade game with a charming mix of modern and retro aesthetics alongside a catchy soundtrack.

Burning up

The hitch lies in its replayability. The drill itself is an excellent idea, but the issue is that it forces you back down to earth when your spaceship runs out of fuel. Your juice levels can be propped up through upgrades or power-ups that enemies drop, but the latter is generated at random.

It means that even if you're the John Wayne of the skies, your prowess only means so much if your enemies are feeling generous enough to toss a few boosters your way. Since this is a game that ultimately charges you with reaching as far into the limits of outer space as possible, this can feel a little unfair.

The race-against-the-clock mentality of your depleting fuel tank means that you don't get the satisfaction of being in the air for more than two minutes.

This anaesthetises that Space Invaders-urge to reach further than you did before, wiping sweat from your brow as you weave between ever-harder enemies.

Super Rocket Plunder is an incredibly well-crafted game, and a sincere attempt at transporting the arcade shooters of yesteryear into 2015. It doesn't quite reach the heights of outer space, but it burns up the exosphere with its charm.

Super Rocket Plunder

A well-crafted retro shoot -'em-up whose twists on the format will keep you entertained but not hooked
Score
Alysia Judge
Alysia Judge
After spending months persuading her parents that it's a valuable career path, Alysia is still not bored with writing about games. That's a good thing really, since skills like spaceship navigation and zombie slaying are pretty much non-transferable.