Game Review: Megatroid

Megatroid is a free-to-play side-scrolling shooter.  It was released by Triolith on Google Play Games and the App Store in 2012.

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Premise:

Join Hali and her trusty robot sidekick S.P.A.K.K. as they run, jump, and blow stuff up in an attempt to topple the robotic empire of the Imperium and free the galaxy from their tyrannical rule!

Enter a code of your choosing and it will create a unique level for you to conquer; possibly one nobody has ever played before!  There are endless possibilities, so you will never run out of levels to play!

Story:

Hali and S.P.A.K.K.

You are controlling Hali who is is part of a reballion going by the name of GRiN, AKA the Galactic Rebel Information Network.  GRiN is working to free the galaxy from the tyrannical rule of the Imperium.  Along for the ride with Hali is her trusty sidekick S.P.A.K.K. who helps her in combat, among other important mission functions.

Along the way you will fight numerous enemies and gather intelligence to better fight the Imperium and find the locations of their leaders, also known as Face Frames.

Not necessarily the most special storyline ever, but it is cute and keeps the momentum going.

Visuals:

Example of visuals

Surprisingly good visuals for a mobile game with lower end 3D graphics.


Character models are all reasonably appealing with smooth and believable animations.

Stages are somewhat generic, but they don't look bad by any means.

Backgrounds are extremely vibrant, and they offer that little bit of extra flair to make the stages look amazing.

Certain environmental hazards can be difficult to spot at times, and this will kill you every now and then.

Sound/Music:

Sound is somewhat generic, but the campy sounds work nicely with the game.

Music is usually pretty good, and it matches the mood of the game very well.

Menus/Interface:

The main menu can be a bit confusing at first.  After a little bit of fiddling, you will quickly figure it out though.

Main Menu

The in-game interface is quite good.  It displays everything you need in a logical and concise manner, although it would be nice to know how much money you have picked up during a level before you have finished it.  Not a big deal, but something to think about.


Gameplay:

Gameplay consists mainly of some light platforming elements, dodging attacks, and destroying enemies, and also some reasonably well designed boss fights.  Overall very simple, yet quite challenging at times.

As you level up your character, you will slowly gain access to better equipment.  I greatly appreciate how the designers put an example of how the weapons work, so you can see what they do before you spend your in-game money on them.

One issue I have with the stages is that there isn't exactly much progression in platforming difficulty, as levels are generated at random.  This isn't too big of a deal, as they implemented a system where enemies slowly become more difficult and intricate as you level up.  While platforming remains at relatively the same difficulty, enemies grow progressively more difficult to defeat.

Controls:

Move left and right by tapping the arrows on the left of the screen, jump and shoot with the buttons on the right.  Very simple and self explanatory.

Overall it controls quite nicely for a mobile game.  The designers understood the limits of mobile devices, and adjusted game difficulty accordingly.

This being said, mobile devices have their issues, and I would find myself dying every now and then because my phone wouldn't register a touch, or just because I had touched the screen in the slightly wrong place.  Ah, the curse of mobile gaming.

Summary:

Definitely a pretty decent mobile game, and not a bad sidescroller.  If you are a fan of sidescrollers, or if you are a gamer on a budget, I suggest you grab this game!

• Pros:
• Nice looking 3D visuals.
• Simple gameplay.
• Simple controls.
• Good music.

• Cons:
• Sometimes hard to see hazards.
• It is a mobile game. It might sound unfair, but touch controls will never be as good as a solid controller in your hand.

SCORE:  8.25/10

What do you think?  Do you agree?  Let me know in the comments below!