Space STG II: Death Rain

The main problem with this ambitious yet deeply flawed title is very simple to identify: it’s not Galcon.

The seminal, fast-paced RTS (and Pocket Gamer Gold Award-winner) has set a mobile strategy benchmark that titles like Space STG II: Death Rain can only gaze at from galaxies far, far away.

InventivVenture’s freemium sequel tries to overcome this sense of inferiority by adopting a distinctly Galcon-esque main map, where colourful planets float cheerfully on sparkling, swirly galactic backgrounds.

The aim is to dominate each map by invading neutral planets in tap-to-attack gameplay, expanding your fleet, and finally launching against the bad guys.

So far, so Galcon, but it’s in the execution that Space STG II: Death Rain trips up.

For a start, there is the agonising, glacial pace with which you progress through the very lengthy campaign. The Quick Mission option is a tempting alternative but one accidental tap of your phone’s 'back' button means an agonising start over from scratch.

Gameplay-wise, endless resource gathering and tech tree climbing takes precedence over actual strategic skill.

These mechanics are also sorely hobbled by a ramshackle tutorial and a clumsy, unintentionally hilarious translation (with new 'massages' regularly popping up).

Control is handled exclusively by tapping on planets or icons, a system that initially appears intuitive but gets confusing when more and more menus appear – with some selection screens resembling clunky Excel spreadsheets.

It’s a shame, too, as once you get a few missions under your belt and earn experience points to splash out on new ships and equipment the game’s staggering depth is revealed.

The problem is, because the learning curve is so painfully steep and progress so insanely slow, only the most die-hard of RTS fans will ever get that far.