Wings of Fury – try this retro yet challenging Fighter Pilot Bomber game

by Paul Wilks Feb 29, 2012 11:18 AM – Leave your thoughts

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Wings of Fury is a challenging pilot game where you have to navigate your plane towards enemy islands and blow them to smithereens! Blowing things up however is just the half of it. You also need to take off, land and do it all before running out of fuel! Ideal for the hobbyist pilot, and fans of retro classics like 1944 and Raiden might also appreciate the gameplay. Dexterity is needed to execute the moves correctly but it’s incredibly rewarding when you do!

Price: Free, ~$1.49

Tested on: HTC Desire HD
Content Rating: Low Maturity

AndroidTapp.com Android Game Review:

Pros & Cons:

Pros

Challenging gameplay!
Retro theme!
Good sound!

Cons

Short on levels.
No instructions.
Doesn’t refuel?

Features:

Wings of Fury is a unique challenge in that unlike most aircraft-based games there is a stress on taking off and landing. You only have a certain amount of fuel and oil and once these run out (oil runs down faster than fuel)- you’re going down anyway! Timing and accuracy is very important however, as is avoiding enemy gunfire. If you are hit your resources run down quicker and you’ll need to return to your hangar.

A significant blip in this otherwise charming game is the fact that, in my experience, you cannot seem to refuel. This is supposed to occur when you land but I found once I was out of oil that was it. I’d normally have just enough to take off but then I’d quickly drop into the ocean. The only way I found around this was to wipe the game’s cache and start again. I’m sure, however, that this is something that can be rectified very easily.

Controls are performed via an on-screen joystick and meaty-looking throttle. Your weapons come in the form of front mounted guns, bombs or missiles which you choose before the mission starts. It might take a little practice to find out that some bunkers are resilient to bombs and require missiles and it’s a shame there isn’t better instructions in-game to tell you. The video below does explain how to play so you’ll need to watch that first. Gameplay is genuinely challenging as taking off and landing is a skill on its own. It is very rewarding to take off, complete the mission and land perfectly- well worth the practice!

The game’s atmosphere reminded me of the hugely popular World War 2 fighter games like 1944 and Raiden, albeit with the slightly different form of gaming. One Android title which is similar is Atomic Bomber. The sound adds to this atmosphere and is pretty good for a basic shooter.

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: Wings of Fury – Hangar

: Wings of Fury – Take off

: Wings of Fury – Flight over island

: Wings of Fury – Take on enemy bunkers and planes!

: Wings of Fury – Once hit you lose fuel

: Wings of Fury – Crash

: Wings of Fury – Nasty crash

: Wings of Fury – Level failed

: Wings of Fury – Pause menu

: Wings of Fury – Menu

: Wings of Fury – Level introduction

: Wings of Fury – Select weapon

: Wings of Fury – Level select

: Wings of Fury – Difficulty settings

Fun Factor:

Completing missions successfully is lots of fun even if it takes a bit of practice to get right. The fact is, it’s not an easy game to play but ultimately very rewarding when you get it right.

Addictive:

I think once you get the hang of the controls it can be very captivating and addictive. There appears to be only 12 levels even in the full game so it might not be enough to keep you coming back for very long, however these levels are quite tough and the developer plans to release more in the future. It is also supported by OpenFeint so you’ll be able to compare scores with friends.

Graphics:

The graphics are quite basic, designed around the retro theme. Nothing visually stunning but relatively impressive when you blow enemies up nonetheless.

Accelerometer, Vibration & Sound:

The sound is pretty good and certainly adds some authenticity. There is a wide range of cool sound effects included from the braking noises when you land to enemy groans, shooting and explosions. Ideal for the game, these work very well.

AndroidTapp.com Rating

AndroidTapp.com Rating! (3.9 out of 5)

Should you Download Wings of Fury? Wings of Fury is an appealing title and lots of fun. I found issues like the refuelling problem and lack of instructions a little frustrating but this isn’t anything that should significantly put someone off as these could easily be rectified in an update. Gameplay is occasionally tricky and hard-to-master but is incredibly satisfying when you get it right! There is a free version of the game so certainly give it a whirl before you go for the full game.

Tags: 1944, Airplane, Android App, Android Apps, Android Game, AndroidTapp.com App Review, OpenFeint, Raiden, Shooter, Wings of Fury

Categorised in: Arcade & Action