Game Reviews

Pharos IV: Assault

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Pharos IV: Assault

It might sound a little odd, but far too many games fail to start at the beginning. When you first get your hands on it, your character’s already a seasoned mercenary, an elite commando, an ace fighter pilot or the fastest hedgehog on the planet.

Okay, maybe that last one’s not such a good example, but you get the point.

Well, in the bizarrely titled Pharos IV: Assault (bizarre inasmuch as we’ve no idea where the previous three games are, though the same could have been said of Star Wars for about 20 years) everything starts at the beginning.

It’s also your character’s first day on the job, so the moment you put your hands on your star fighter’s controls you know about as much of what’s going on as everyone else.

This feels strangely welcoming. You don’t feel so bad when a feeble enemy drone quickly blows you into radioactive space dust. Being fresh out of Space Academy, it’s kinda harsh that you’re put in charge of defending a besieged space station all your own, but that’s your job, and an exciting one at that.

As dramatic as it all sounds, this makes for a very simple set of game mechanics - circle the space station and attack anything that moves. It does have its own intricacies, though, and the mechanics of space flight are refined enough to make Pharos IV: Assault a dynamic ride.

On-screen buttons allow you to fire, repair your ship, and accelerate. The accelerometer takes care of the controls and any potential headaches with auto-calibration. Whatever angle you’re holding the handset when the game starts is set as neutral, though you can still recalibrate by double-tapping the screen at any time.

This means that you never feel as though you’re having to lean over the handset to see the screen or having to tip it out of visible range when diving or climbing.

As well as your ship, the massive space station is also vulnerable to attack, so you must choose your targets carefully.

You’re just a nuisance to the attackers whose real target is the station, so making sure you’re not swapping laser fire with a random drone while three of his mates are at the other side of the station is something you must pay close attention to.

Pharos IV: Assault isn’t a massively deep game, but what is here looks and plays beautifully. The scope is there for expansion should the developer ever decide to throw us a significant update bone.

Of all the current 3D space shooters there are to choose from right now on the iPhone, this understated debut from Plasq is a real hidden gem.

Pharos IV: Assault

Perhaps not quite as involving as it could be, this superb-looking game packs a real punch for a budget title, and is one of the best kept secrets currently on the App Store.
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Spanner Spencer
Spanner Spencer
Yes. Spanner's his real name, and he's already heard that joke you just thought of. Although Spanner's not very good, he's quite fast, and that seems to be enough to keep him in a regular supply of free games and away from the depressing world of real work.