Have you ever peered into a kaleidoscope and been entranced by the changing shapes and pretty colors? Playing BGDesigns’ Roto Strike (out now, free) will have a similar effect on you. This slickly designed arcade shooter’s vivid, psychedelic visuals will draw you in, while its action-packed gameplay will keep you playing until you master and complete all 40 levels.
Each level tasks you with destroying an alien mothership that’s surrounded by a protective throng of obstacles and that launches a steady stream of smaller attack ships. Piloting an interstellar fighter jet, you nimbly circle around the perimeter of the enemy mass, dodging attacks and firing on the mothership’s defensive wall until it’s dismantled completely. The action is pretty fast-paced so thankfully the controls are simple. You tap on the left-hand side of the screen to fire your weapon, and tap on the right-hand side to change your ship’s direction from clockwise to counterclockwise (and vice versa).
Roto Strike starts out easy since the first handful of stages act as an extended tutorial. The ante is soon upped though with the introduction of increasingly intricate obstacle layouts and more powerful, plentiful enemies. This gradual rise in difficulty is balanced out by the fact that the game also introduces a variety of collectable power-ups, which do fun things like dramatically increase your weapon’s fire rate and damage or give you two ships to control at the same time.
Overall, I really like Roto Strike and I’m thoroughly enjoying blasting my way through its lengthy campaign. The only real issues that I have with the game are that some of its stages feel a tad samey and that the banner ad that’s displayed at the bottom of the screen is a little distracting. This banner can be easily removed by upgrading to premium version of the game via IAP ($1.99), though.
Verdict
Roto Strike is a simple yet seriously stunning and addictive arcade shooter. The game’s kaleidoscopic visuals will captivate you while the action-packed and entertaining gameplay will keep you hooked until you complete all 40 levels. Highly recommended!
