Seal Force
SCORE: 76
Free, with In-App Purchased Upgrades
Available!
“The entire ocean is counting on you to help defeat the evil krill
mastermind Krillian from poisoning the sea!” That’s how the makers of
Seal Force, a new game for iOS, describe their new side-scrolling mobile
game. But not to fear, sea-lovers!
We’ve been given three elite Seal
Commandos to help us clear all of the evil krill (aquatic life that has
been poisoned by Krillian) from the ocean.
Seal Commandos. Ha! Get it? Not guys in black diving outfits. No, that’s
“Navy Seals”. These seals are of the aquatic mammal type, but they are
indeed commandos. It’s a fun idea enhanced by the fact that each of the
three seals has a separate personality (and the whole thing has a very
intentional retro design that harkens back to the 80s Saturday morning
cartoons heyday. I was right in the middle of that demographic in the
early 80s, so I recognized the stylistic cues immediately. References
have been made to a bit of a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles influence and
I can definitely see that.
I reviewed this game on an iPhone, but there are graphics optimized for
the iPad also. You won’t be disappointed with the look of this game. The
look is cartoon-like, so don’t expect immersive 3D graphics, but for
what
the
makers of the game are aiming for, this is very well done.
The sound design is equally impressive. There is a theme music that
certainly sounds 80s-inspired. It could easily have been the soundtrack
to an NES game back in the day. And voices, both the good guys and the
bad guys, are fun and well done. Adding to the overall retro feel of
this game is the intro video created to introduce you to the game and
its characters. Be sure to tap the “Watch Intro” button at the
bottom-left of the initial screen. You’ll be treated with a fantastic
theme song video that will definitely feel familiar to anyone who
watched Transformers, GI Joe, TMNT, or any other action-based cartoon as
a child. It’s a great idea that sets the tone for the game. We know we
aren’t supposed to take this deadly-serious, but rather have fun
conjuring up memories of our childhood.
But you don’t have to be 30-something to enjoy the charms of this little
game. Gameplay is fast, fun, and occasionally frustrating. The action is
continually side-scrolling, with a twist added in. You draw paths on the
screen from the seals to the evil hordes of ocean-dwellers coming at you
from the right of the screen. The trick is that you can only send in one
seal at a time, and each seal can only take out certain baddies, leaving
many more still coming at you in a very fast pattern. They don’t stop
and you must be quick to decide which seal to send in which order and
what path to draw for him. I found it to be a bit hard to have prolonged
sessions before getting “krilled”, as the game calls it. But that didn't
stop me from trying again and again. I had a reviewer’s copy, which
allowed me access to all of the unlockable content the game provides.
With lasers, extra lives, battle armor, etc, I still had plenty of
trouble staying alive for very long. All of those lasers and other
extras can get very expensive though. I imagine that gameplay with only
the free version and no added purchases can be slightly frustrating
until you earn some upgrades along the way by advancing in the game.
I didn’t find anything that parents should be worried about in the
content of the game, although I suppose for very young and sensitive
children, the Krillian voice acting could be mildly scary.
All in all, a very nice package of nostalgia and current gameplay, fit
for cartoon-lovers of all ages.
- Matt
Graphics: 75%
Sound: 80%
Replay/Extras: 75%
Gameplay: 70%
Family Friendly Factor: 80%
System: iPhone/iPod Touch
Publisher: Nordisk Film Games
Rating: ‘4+’ - 4+
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