Windows Phone Xbox Live Review: Galaga Legions DX

Galaga Legions DX papercraft

Terminal yr, Namco Bandai released a Windows Telephone-sectional port of XBLA/PSN hit Pac-Man Title Edition DX. I was concerned about the amount of content that was needlessly cut from the port and its high price, but still gave it a positive review and named information technology a Must-Have title. More than a twelvemonth (and several intermediate releases) afterwards, Namco follows up with Galaga Legions DX. Similar Pac-Man CE DX earlier it, this latest release is an exclusive port of a console title and it carries the seldom-used $half dozen.99 toll. Even so, this version of Galaga doesn't quite attain the same standards of quality as Pac-Man CE DX, making it a much tougher sell.

Updating the granddaddy of all shoot-em-ups

While Pac-Human CE DX plays closely to the original game, Galaga Legions DX strays much farther. Players nonetheless pilot a lonely ship as information technology takes on waves of enemy 'Galaga' ships that approach from all sides. Preceding each moving ridge are one or more neon lines that show exactly what paths the enemies volition take. This lets you prepare a strategy and quickly act upon it because like Pac-Man CE DX you're at present working under a time limit.

Another modify from previous Galagas is the way you dispatch enemies. Instead of shooting downwards every unmarried one, the bodily goal is to kill specific leader ships, which destroys the whole batch of baddies. Bomb ships too clear groups of enemies and show essential in dispatching their leaders in a bustle. Finding the fastest way to articulate leaders and thus, waves nigh feels like a puzzle at times. The change in focus from downing all enemies to specific targets takes some getting used to, merely it fits Legions DX's speedier, more stylized approach to gameplay.

Eye in the sky

Galaga Legions DX The hero's send is no longer restricted to firing single shots directly upwards thank you to its two satellites. These spit out their own shots, bolstering your firepower. They tin can be positioned in a number of different ways, broken downwards into A and B configurations. The A type allows players to direct the ship and satellite'due south burn down in ane of 8 directions. B type points the satellites in separate directions from the ship's fire, spreading your shot output.

Toggling between A and B configuration types is easily accomplished by borer a button at the right side of the screen. Positioning the satellites, which would accept been washed with the right analog stick on the Xbox 360 is handled here by a virtual stick of sorts. The virtual stick only offers eight positions instead of analog command, but information technology works well enough. Yous tin adjust the size of the stick (a plus), but I wish the A-B toggle button could be moved a flake farther from the stick.

Control woes

Galaga Legions DX Legions DX'due south satellite controls might be decent, but I can't say the same for the ship'south movement controls. Instead of a virtual stick for the left thumb, you only press and drag on the left side of the screen to motility. That would be fine in and of itself, if it just controlled properly.

In nigh games with a similar control approach, wherever you lot place your thumb would count as a temporary neutral position. Then swiping up would motion up, and and then on. What happens in Legions DX is hard to describe, simply just putting your pollex down counts as a directional press instead of creating a neutral position. Not but that, but the ship movement seems to lag behind whatever swipes you make. Legions DX's movement controls are seriously the worst I've ever encountered in a phone game, narrowly out-crapping Earthworm Jim'due south poorly-positioned virtual stick.

These woes sap the fun and add an unintended caste of challenge to the game. That said, a slow-motion mechanic sometimes alleviates the frustration of steering. Just like Pac-Man CE DX, when enemies or their burn down get too shut to the ship, the game briefly goes into wearisome move. This gives players a gamble to run away and live to fight another day. Except the slow-mo here doesn't e'er work. Sometimes an enemy will just smack into you before you've had time to react – peradventure information technology depends on the foe's velocity.

Game construction

Remember how Pac-Man CE DX lost a bunch of its content on the manner to Windows Phone? Sadly, Legions DX follows the aforementioned formula, less forgivably so because the XBLA version of Galaga Legions DX is already a weaker game than Pac-Man CE DX.

Instead of x unique areas, Championship, and Fourth dimension Assail modes, this version boasts only 3 areas and Championship Fashion. The latter is basically a longer, harder surface area composed of waves from the iii previous areas.

Each expanse contains v levels that must be played through in a row. Levels consist of multiple waves of enemies. You're allotted a certain amount of time for the first four levels (either two or iii minutes) – whatsoever time y'all have left over after the last moving ridge gets added to your 5th level time. Level v has 99 waves, so the objective is to reach it with as much time as possible in guild to maximize your score.

A potentially cool element - enemy ships joining the player's side - goes woefully underused, taking place only in the fifth level of areas 1-3 and Championship way. The helper ships die so quickly, you'll scarcely know they were ever there.

Neontastic

Galaga Legions DX

Default visual fashion

Legions DX features a colorful neon mode that doesn't much evoke the await of the original Galaga, different Pac-Human being CE DX. Still, you can at to the lowest degree replace the newer, 3D transport fine art with sprite sets from either Galaga or its 1979 predecessor Galaxian. Both choices give the game a slightly more nostalgic appearance if not feeling. The XBLA game had six visual styles though, meaning three got left backside for no reason.

Achievements

The Achievements here involve clearing each area and Championship, doing so on Expert difficulty, and reaching high score milestones on each area and Championship. The enemies move faster on Proficient difficulty and players get fewer lives, but it's still beatable (peculiarly if yous try to reach level 5 with as little time as possible).

The high score goals nowadays the real challenge. Without memorizing an expanse's waves, it can be tough to accrue enough points before time runs out. Championship fashion is even worse since it goes on much longer and seriously ramps upwards the difficulty on level five. Compounding it all are the terrible controls I lamented earlier. Yet, past following videos and perhaps our handy Achievement Guide, you might just alive long enough to accomplish that golden score.

Overall Impression

Galaga Legions DX is an interesting and sometimes fun game marred past its monstrously bad controls. Information technology'south as if the developers had never played a mobile phone game earlier and didn't bother to play this one much either. Hopefully Namco Bandai releases a patch to gear up the steering up and gives the porting squad a stern talking to. Even without command issues, the smaller number of areas compared to the console versions gives the game a much shorter shelf life.

The lofty toll just compounds everything else. A platform'due south highest price betoken should exist reserved for its strongest titles. A game with terribad controls that you tin can finish in about six hours or less doesn't cut it. Considering how the WP7 Legions DX lacks two thirds of the panel version'south content and nonetheless costs but a third less, information technology doesn't stand for a great value. If a patch or toll driblet e'er comes along (hopefully both), arcade and shmup fans may want to pick this DX up.

Galaga Legions DX costs a whopping $6.99 and at that place is a free trial. Get it here on the Marketplace.

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