It is often hard to tell what a game will be about when you only know the name of it. This is not the case with a name like Annihilation Arena. The image I get is a game where you slaughter enemies within an enclosed arena. And that is actually pretty accurate; you get thrown into an arena in a kind of low flying craft with a big roof mounted gun. Enemies spawn around you, and swarm you guns blazing. Some of them are proximity mines getting close to explode their deadly cargo against your hull. Most of them wield the same arsenal of weapon as you. Lasers, flame throwers and rail guns to name a few. There are a lot of powerups to collect including health and speed. After a couple of hectic waves you get 10 seconds to zoom around and collect them.
Controls are much the same as well-established titles such as iDracula use. Dual sticks where the left one controls movement, and the right one controls your direction of weapon fire. They work just as well for Annihilation Arena as in aforementioned iDracula. You switch weapons with arrows in the middle of the sticks. Powerups such as the devastating bomb have their own on screen buttons. Slick controls that your craft reacts well to. You can circle one way and shoot the other making it possible to align chasing enemies to annihilate with the rail gun.
There are three different themed arenas, all essentially the same square arena though. Nice to have some variation, and changing arena after beating a boss feels like a good progression. Annihilation Arena is a game about survival, and getting as high a score as possible. There are three different difficulty levels ranging from easy to hard. You can choose which arena to enter, and the amount and power of enemies differ with hardest opposition on the lava level.
A definite weak point of the game is that the high score list ranks doesn’t separate scores at all. No matter if I play on easy, normal or hard the final score turns up on the same list. There are no separate lists for the different arenas either. A high score chase game needs more attention to detail when it comes to how the scores are divided and presented. I like the medal system it has where you can be rated as cannon fodder if your performance is laughable. A small annoyance is the fact that you have to go to safari to get to know the different weapons and enemies. Game play instructions are found within the game, why couldn’t weapons and enemies be a part of the instructions. A small flaw, and thankfully the weapons are easy to figure out.
Annihilation Arena is hectic, and the amount of weapons available makes for some strategy as well. Having good weapons left for the boss is important, but surviving until you meet the boss is imperative. If you enjoy shooters Annihilation Arena is a quality title to add to your collection.
Presentation & Graphics
Nice backgrounds and good HUD that feels just at home with the craft you pilot. Enemy crafts are reused a lot but this doesn’t feel repetitive as they are outfitted with new weapons. I think the menu in black/green is a bit boring; a game like Annihilation Arena should have massive explosions greeting you when you start it.
Sound
Annihilation Arena features great thumping music that fits the game perfectly. Sound effects are good with weapon fire sounding like I would imagine in an arena of annihilation. Fades out your own music.
Gameplay
Fun, hectic action shooter that controls really well. Can become somewhat repetitive.
Gamelife
Poor high score board implementation, and no online leader boards. Annihilation Arena has nothing to unlock or achieve.
Game Rating
A competent action shooter recommended to those looking for a frantic experience. Lacking when it comes to gamelife due to confused high score tables.
