World of Gunships flies onto iOS
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Nope – it’s a suped-up attack helicopter
World of Gunships isn’t a laid-back flight simulator where you chew gum, gaze out at the horizon and transport cargo from one little town to another. It’s free-for-all carnage – and it’s now on iOS.
You start off in the cockpit of a basic attack helicopter, but as you progress, you can unlock more than 20 other customisable gunships. Each has unique stats to consider, broken down by armour, speed, attack power, fuel capacity, manoeuvrability and weight.
Gameplay modes include Campaign, Death Match and Teamplay. As you’d expect, the Campaign mode involves completing various missions in scenic locations, from pyramid-dotted Giza to a lush tropical atoll. Each mission invariably requires you to blow stuff up, and there are occasional boss choppers to contend with along the way.
Death Match is a dogfight against players from around the world. You’ll face-off against low-level newbies, high-level veterans and everything between, so don’t expect an easy ride. Teamplay is the same, but you’re split into two teams of warring gunships, both vying to defeat the other.
Graphically, this isn’t a retro Desert Strike clone. World of Gunships boasts full 3D graphics, detailed helicopter models and some pretty maps to fly around. You’ll see the action unfold in third-person, so you won’t be staring at the cockpit worrying about what all the switches and buttons do. The head-up display features fuel and speed gauges on the left; an altitude metre and ammo selection on the right; and a crosshair, compass and directional dial in the centre. Enemies are flagged by red text with a counter displaying their distance from you, so it’s always easy to find your next target.
Released in 2016 on Android, iOS gamers can now join in on the action. Download World of Gunships for free from the App Store and Google Play.