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App Army Assemble: Lichtspeer - A huge bag of crazy that's genuinely entertaining?

Find out what our eager gamers thought of it

App Army Assemble: Lichtspeer - A huge bag of crazy that's genuinely entertaining?
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iOS
| Lichtspeer

Well, the majority of the UK and Ireland are frozen over and snowed in, but that doesn't mean we can't warm ourselves up with this week's epic App Army Assemble.

The neon wild ride Lichtspeer is on the cards this week and, like most people, our AA thought it looked bananas. You've got to work through different levels throwing light spears and killing all sorts of enemies to please the Lichtgods. That's easier said than done.

What did our team of eager gamers think about it? Let's take a look.

Ed Davis

What I saw made no sense to me, but then again I was warned of that. Never have I ever thrown a Lichtspeer until now, and I've thoroughly enjoyed my time with this game. It's simple enough in all aspects. The gameplay is pacey and the soundtrack is funky. These two things are enough to keep me hooked. I'm not sure what the purpose of the game is other than to please the big floating head. Nonetheless, it's a game I think everyone should try.

Mark Abukoff

Lichtspeer is one of those games that I'm almost embarrassed to say that I really like (like Carmageddon). The graphics are simple, stylish, and appealing. What counts, and what makes this game so satisfying, is its unapologetic barbarity. This game is for people with a fair amount of frustration and for people who need to be able to do savage things and not get arrested. It's for people who need to be able to throw spears at an endless line of people (including giants and swooping attack birds) and revel in a bit of blood spurting out of necks and various body parts. I'm a fan.

Dries Pretorius (iPad Air)

There's something about gruesome headshots and video games that just work. The dopamine rush of taking one head off after the next while the Unreal Tournament 2004 commentator roars "UNSTOPPABLE!!!" is a cherished memory of my childhood, joyfully revisited in the decapitation fest that is Lichtspeer.

I didn't like Lichtspeer at first glance, it looks like a shallow browser game. Zombie types run at you while you take shots at them from a stationary position. I had no intention of liking it, and yet, after about ten minutes I was hooked. Soon the running and ambling zombies are joined by giant Cyclopes who crash satisfyingly when slain, and later by flying creatures, then shielded foes and kamikaze walruses - a constant barrage of increasingly complex foes to fling your neon spear at.

Lichtspeer is a game that is deeper than it appears. It's gory, it's fun, and it reminds me a little bit of God of Blades in that way. A great entry point into the genre.

Roman Valerio (iPad Air, iOS 11.2.6)

To say that the plot of this game and its premise are bizarre and weird would be an understatement, and the devs don't try to mask it at all. The game mechanic is simple to learn, but extremely hard to master as you take on the role of an ultimate savior of germanic lands. All you have to do, in order to annihilate all evil coming at you at different speeds and angles, is drag a finger to aim and release it to shoot.

The game tries its best not to get repetitive with time by constantly changing its scenic background, throwing monsters and bosses of different complexity and variety at you, and allowing you to upgrade your valiant character with a set of new lichtpowers.

I am not a fan of such action-packed games that give you an adrenaline kick and cause immense frustration at the same time, so I grew tired of this psychedelic adventure experience pretty quickly. The thing that appealed to me most of all was an unorthodox humor and, in my opinion, a rather successful attempt to cram English and German vocabulary into a single narrative. Achtung: das Game ist fantastisch, but only für die hardcore Fans of dieses genre.

Lichtspeer iPhone iPad action arcade Chad Jones (iPad Mini 4)

I am really enjoying this game. It's simple yet addictive and one of those high score arcade games that will keep me coming back. The premise is simple - aim, shoot, and try not to get taken out.

The story is a bit bizarre, and to support that the in-game currency is LSD (which has probably been an inspiration), but I enjoy it nonetheless. Usually with Noodlecake Studios games you can't go wrong.

Oksana Ryan (iPad Pro)

This game is a real pleaser. It's simple to play, the music is oddly bizarre which fits perfectly, and the graphics are colorful and quite gory. There's nothing complicated - just aim and kill as many creatures as possible until they stop coming.

Each level adds more creatures either marching, running, or flying towards you at ever increasing speeds, and you get to upgrade your lichtspeer as you progress. If you want a game where you can slay a hoard of enemies and don't want anything overly complicated, then this is definitely the game for you.

Lalol Hernández Gómez (iPhone 7)

If you play on mobile on your daily basis I'm pretty sure you've played some slingshot mechanic-based games. Those controls are nothing new, but that doesn't mean they don't feel good and are well-adapted to the platform.

Lichtspeer is Bowmasters at its core, but totally premium and with a good, addictive campaign. The developers did a great job creating the different bosses and enemies. Even the goals of the level are very creative.

The controls to activate the power-ups feel complicated and since every second counts when finishing the enemies, I only used a couple of times. Also, I didn't really like that you aim by putting your thumb on the right section of the screen because that's where the monsters appear.

Some folks could be frustrated because the game doesn't explain how to destroy some enemies and bosses, but I didn't have a problem doing some trial and error. An Endless mode would be neat!

Kay Wiberg (iPhone 7 Plus)

I have to start out by saying I never liked the casual games genre on iPhone and often go for the PC ports. At first, I had a hard time getting hooked on this the game, but after pushing myself to overcome the somewhat unresponsive dual-thumb press on the touchscreen I started to like the gameplay.

This game with its simple-yet-satisfying gameplay managed to turn my preconception about this genre. To be honest, I was just going to play for a short while earlier this evening and then move on to the PS4. 45 minutes later I realised I was still playing Lichtspeer, so thank you Noodlecake Studios for making me rediscover this genre.

Abhimanyu Saxena (iPhone 8 Plus)

First off, I didn't have high expectations for the game - I thought that it would be like Angry birds or other such games, but I was surprised. There's not much going on story-wise, but the game looks really beautiful. The scenery and the enemies create a nice experience for the gamers and I liked the music of the game as well.

I am not a fan of the genre and it'd been ages since I last played a casual game. The controls were a little hard to master at the start. I bit my tongue and cursed the Lichtgods, but you get a hang of it eventually. I had my doubts even after this as I thought it would become repetitive but it was the other way around. The game was challenging enough and kept you on the edge of your seats with different stages and enemies.

The head shots are a thing of beauty and the enemies get tougher with each stage. I had decided to devote at least 20 minutes to play the game and when I stopped playing to write this, it was well over an hour. I was pleasantly surprised and found it to be a nice casual game with appealing visuals and nice soundtrack.

Paul Manchester (iPhone 5SE)

This game is like being stuck inside a Kraftwerk music video. Unfortunately that's for better and for worse. The graphics are simple but eye-catching and work well given the games frantic pace. I really enjoyed the soundtrack and voice acting which lifted the game enormously.

However, underneath the polish I found the game was just too simple and repetitive, with an added bonus layer of frustration. I agree with others that having to use your finger covering the incoming enemies also spoils the experience on smaller devices. I wanted to love this game, but it turned out not to be. Tschüss Mein verrückter Freund!

Lichtspeer iPhone iPad action arcade Funem

Like a shoot'em-up, you are on one side of the screen and you have to kill the enemies come at you from the other side. You are represented by a little man who throws a spear, and like a real spear it does not follow a straight line in flight. The enemies, which get more difficult as the game progresses, come running or flying in from the right of the screen towards you. Holding the right side of the screen creates an arc from your man and shows the trajectory the spear will travel. This can be raised or lowered by sliding your finger up or down the screen, and removing your finger releases the spear.

A head shot gets more than a normal hit and gives a nice gory kill. Some enemies fly, some walk or row in boats, and some take multiple shots. Tapping the left and right of the screen whilst the spear is in flight breaks the spear into multiple spears with more damage, but this has a cool-down. Other powers can be purchased as the game progresses.

It's a simple game with simple graphics, simple story, simple controls, and can suck up those few minutes you have here and there. It's not a long term title but a simple time waster, and for me it's perfect in that respect. Another Noodlecake win as far as I’m concerned, and I love the theme tune.

Quincy Jones (iPhone 8 Plus)

Nein! Nein! Nein! This might be the first disappointing game I've played by Noodlecake. The acid-tripping colors and effects as well as the music are not enough to cover up the fact that this type of game has been done many times before, and, unfortunately for these guys, done a lot better. Frustrating controls and repetitive gameplay equals disappointing (enttäuschend).

Justin Herselman (iPhone 8 Plus)

Lichtspeer is a neon, futuristic, 2D spear-throwing game with some funny and interesting German culture thrown in there "Das is Ok". Put in a bit of that personal weirdness of Katamari Damacy and you got yourself Lichtspeer.

The controls are simple but effective, you don't need much skill to be able to use them, though I did think that the simplistic nature of this game would make it feel tedious. I mean, you're just tossing spears at your enemies, right? Well, you are. But, the stylistic nature of the game and the interesting German theme makes it amusing enough to play, and no level feels the same.

The accuracy of the spear-throwing was spot-on and during my gameplay I didn't find any glitches - which is very impressive as there is team of only two developers. Also, the enemies are pretty diverse and you'll never get bored. The game keeps that interest by using LSD (not the drug, but the in-game currency) which you can spend on upgrades. The boss battles play out as you'd expect, but the game can get incredibly challenging very fast.

My only criticism is the story is a bit short. However, with different modes and an upgrades system it can definitely keep you playing.

It's definitely worth the purchase if you're into those spear-throwing mechanics. BUY!

Chanandler (iPhone X)

I just don't seem to have the patience for these types of games any more. It could be that I find the touch screen just a bit too tricky to accurately control the spear and, by forcing you to aim with your finger in front of the character, you ends up with your hand covering part of the screen.

The actual game is quite fun, if a little short. It could have done with an endless mode as there is nothing else to do once you have played through the game. It took me about five hours to finish it but I guess for £4 it's not too bad value.

Emily Sowden
Emily Sowden
Emily is Pocket Gamer's News Editor and writes about all kinds of game-related things. She needs coffee to function and begrudgingly loves her Switch more than she lets on.