Game Reviews

Helix

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iOS
| Helix
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Helix
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iOS
| Helix

There's a wonderfully simple idea at the core of Helix, and it's transferred so well to the rest of the game that it's hard not to become infected by it.

This is a game that takes retro shooters and focuses on one part of their appeal - movement. Instead of blasting your enemies, you're literally flying rings around them, circling them to clear them from the screen.

It's all controlled with a single finger, and presented in a wonderfully angular retro style. And when it comes down to it, it’s an awful lot of fun.

Non-euclidian geometry wars

Things start off sedately enough. There are a couple of enemies on the screen, you swoosh your little spaceship around them and they explode.

But before long things are far, far more hectic. The play area fills up with fidgety little creatures, and you need to concentrate just to stay alive.

A single touch and you're dead. Enemies always announce their entrance with a flickering mark, so you know when to dodge when you're flying around the edge of the screen.

As you play you'll come up against enemies with multiple health bars, creatures that spawn new foes when you destroy them, and annoying little blighters that demand you fly one way around them to make them explode.

There's something hypnotising about the rhythm of play. You can touch anywhere on the screen to control your ship, and then you’re free to swirl as extravagantly as you’d like.

Hectic helix

It all makes for a wonderful arcade experience. The twist is rich enough that everything feels fresh, and there's something almost painfully addictive about the game as well.

You'll die, a lot, but you’re only ever a tap away from starting again. And start again you will. Helix shows how a single, simple idea, when well executed, can create some amazing mobile gaming.

Some might balk at its garish colours, and there’s a good chance more casual players will get tired of it quickly. But if it gets your claws in, then you’re likely to be hooked for a good long while.

Helix

A garish and wonderfully retro anti-shooter, Helix deserves your high-score chasing attention
Score
Harry Slater
Harry Slater
Harry used to be really good at Snake on the Nokia 5110. Apparently though, digital snake wrangling isn't a proper job, so now he writes words about games instead.