Air Master 3D Review

Space flying games are very popular in gaming… and for good reason.  What kid hasn’t wanted to pilot a fighter out in space taking on the bad guys?  Some games have got it right, but many have failed to give us the real sensation that we’re flying.

And that’s why I have to admit that I’m really impressed with Air Master 3D by Alex Nankervis.  While the game might not be perfect, there were times when I found myself leaning from side to side while playing.  That is the first indication that you’ve crossed over and started to put yourself fully into the game.

So, let’s take a quick look at the game and see what makes it tick.

First off, since we’re going into battle, we should know why we’re doing it.  The description in the game calls you the “last Air Master” and you’re humanity’s only hope against an unstoppable alien threat.  That to me sounds like a pretty tall order.  How do you stop something that is “unstoppable”?  And what happened to all the other Air Masters?

Anyway… it’s time for you to take on the alien’s home world (actually FIVE home worlds) and kick some butt (or whatever you kick on an alien).

To fly your ship you simply use the tilt controls inherent in the device.  These work very well and help you get the “feeling” of flight.  To fire your main weapons you just tap the right side of the screen.  There’s also a missile you can fire buy tapping that icon.  The picture of the missile will slowly work it’s way back on your screen alerting you that it’s ready to go again.

The shooting is actually one of the things I liked best about the game.  I’ve played a lot of games like this and I am usually disappointed by the hit detection of my shots.  But Air Master seems to have this one down pat.  Even the ships way off in the distance seem to feel the effects of my well placed shots.  And the missile shots work just as well.

A tap to the left side will give the ship a bit of a speed boost.  But, to be honest, I didn’t get much of that “boost” in the feeling of play.

With the control and the firing down pat, let’s look at one of the most important parts in any flying game, especially one that puts “3D” in the title.  Air Master seems like it might be two different games.  The terrain in the game looks really good.

I quick glance of any screen shots will show you that all of the hills and valleys in the game look good.  The ships, however, look much more blocky and retro.  That being said, I found no problems with how the game looks and everything worked okay for me.  I can see that it would turn a few off, but this helped the game hit the “3D” effect we were all wanting.

I think the only place were the game falls a bit flat is in the sound.  There is an interesting “tin” sound when you’re shot.  It sounds like a bullet hitting a can… but I think the aliens are using lasers.  And there’s no music during the battle.

At first I couldn’t put my finger on what was bugging me… and then I realized that it was the lack of music.  Normally I get bothered by the music, this time I was actually missing it.

Oh, and one other thing that Air Master could really use is a better since of when your ship is exploding.  There is a health bar on the screen, but when it goes down to nothing there is just a quick flash and your next ship is already flying where the other one left off.  If it was your last ship you just get a quick “game over” on the screen.  A quick fix to this would really help.

There is a Lite version of the game and I would suggest that you go and try it out.  But be warned, there is a good chance you’ll be going after the full version pretty quickly.

Air Master 3D is a fine addition to the Sci Fi Flying genre.  It’s one of the first games that really gave me a good sense of flying and the shooting worked perfectly.  I feel like a kid all over again.

The Good

3D Aspect Is Very Good
Hit Detection In Fights Is Right On
Custom Level Generator!

The Bad

Not Enough Sense Of Speed
Sound Needs Work (Music & Effects)
Graphics Might Be Too Blocky & Retro For Some

 

 

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Tags: Air Master 3D, Flying apps, iphone flight

Category: Games