Simple. Fun. Addicting. These are the three pillars of the casual iPhone game. If these three goals can be reached, and done well, the game will be a success. This the reason a incredibly simplistic game like Flight Control can become so successfull in a market that is saturated with these types of games. Flight Control takes a simple concept – drag planes/helicopters to their landing strip – and pulls it off with good sound, simple graphics, and smooth animation.
Presentation & Graphics
Simple and effective, but nothing amazing. Smooth movement for planes. Would have liked to see a crashing animation.
No. Not great.
Sound
Also simple and effective. Not much lacking here.
Gameplay
Totally addicting, and takes about 30 seconds to learn. I would have liked to see the plane warning (before the planes appear on the screen) to change color based on what kind of aircraft will be appearing. Eventually, playing through the first few minutes of the game can be boring.
Gamelife
I might get crap for this, but I think that while this game stands firm on it’s own, there’s still a lot of opportunity for improvement in building longevity for this type of game. Currently, the only reason to come back is the online line leaderboard. How about unlocking new airports? New aircraft? I would have also liked to see the addition of levels in the game, or at least the ability to continue from where you lost the game (with a hit to your score, of course). This game starts off slow, and it can get old having to replay through the simple first 3-5 minutes of the game before things start heating up.
Game Rating
Flight Control sets itself apart with it’s incredibly easy to learn gameplay, simple-but-clean graphics and sound, frantic action later in the game. Sure, some may think it’s a bit too simpistic, but at only 99 cents, it’s certaintly worth a look. Oh, and it’s not simple. Trust me.
Flight Control – $.99 (sale price)
