Bulkypix have done it again. They have a real knack of knowing which games to publish and which games are actually pretty good. Meltdown, developed by Phenomenon Games, is a fast-paced action game that will keep you constantly on your toes during its bite size levels. If you are a fan of Metal Gear Solid, or any cover-based third person adventure games, you should find this rather entertaining. Of course it is not next-gen material and its gameplay is not console-quality, it is made for mobile after all, but the action and music will entice you to come back for more.
In Meltdown, you control a soldier out to destroy robotic AI that shoot at you and run at your with mysterious gusto. That's as far as you need to know about the story, or lack of one. If you are looking for a game with a good story, look elsewhere. This is purely an action game designed to be played in short bursts with no regard for why you're doing it. The missions are randomly generated, so there is a sense of unpredictability every time you load up.
To move around, Meltdown has employed a standard tap-to-move, but it's not as simple as that. There is also a double tap to roll on the ground. To perform a melee attack, you tap and drag your finger past an enemy and when your guy moves in range of an enemy, he will auto-attack. In fact, its ranged attack and gunfire are also auto-attack by default, but you can change it anytime by clicking on a virtual crosshair at the bottom right of your screen. This will engage manual aim, which is accomplished by tapping and holding two fingers on your device and your character will shoot in between your fingers. More experienced mobile gamers will have come across games that use this aiming control scheme. Overall, I kinda like the intuitive controls.
When your player gets behind an object, he will automatically go into cover. However, if your auto-attack is on, he will continue shooting even when there is a missile flying directly at his face. This is where manual aim comes in handy, especially at later levels. Covers are also rendered useless by some robots that come charging directly at you. Not to mention the fact that the game actually promotes melee kills by giving you bonus credits when you do it. Yes, there is a cover-based element to this game, but I think the developers were stretching it by calling it a cover-based shooter in the description.
I have mentioned before in my previous reviews of roguelikes that I am a big fan of character progression. Without it, I find no meaning in playing a game. When nothing can be improved, why continue playing it? Fortunately, with Meltdown, there is quite a good skill and weapon progression system. When you level up, you can decide to put your skill points in any of the three tiers. One tier is to increase your damage done, one is to increase your health and shields, and one to increase weapon efficiency, movement speed and such. The weapons itself can be upgraded, but are only unlocked by reaching a certain level. So there is much to gain from coming back to this game every time you unlock your device.
Phenomenon Games must also be complimented for implementing Co-op multiplayer into Meltdown. This is a great move that allows you to be able to play with friends and family in your quest to rid these evil machines from the face of Earth. Trust me, if you enjoyed single player, multiplayer will knock your socks off with how fun it is having extra people to cover your back.
All-in-all, with an intuitive control system, good graphics and exciting music, a wonderful character progression system, and a convenient and fun multiplayer, Meltdown is a must try for Android gamers. Oh yea, did I mention that the game is free on the Google Play Store? Yes, it actually costs iOS gamers money to purchase this game, but it's free for us! Hoorah!
What are you waiting for??
In Meltdown, you control a soldier out to destroy robotic AI that shoot at you and run at your with mysterious gusto. That's as far as you need to know about the story, or lack of one. If you are looking for a game with a good story, look elsewhere. This is purely an action game designed to be played in short bursts with no regard for why you're doing it. The missions are randomly generated, so there is a sense of unpredictability every time you load up.
To move around, Meltdown has employed a standard tap-to-move, but it's not as simple as that. There is also a double tap to roll on the ground. To perform a melee attack, you tap and drag your finger past an enemy and when your guy moves in range of an enemy, he will auto-attack. In fact, its ranged attack and gunfire are also auto-attack by default, but you can change it anytime by clicking on a virtual crosshair at the bottom right of your screen. This will engage manual aim, which is accomplished by tapping and holding two fingers on your device and your character will shoot in between your fingers. More experienced mobile gamers will have come across games that use this aiming control scheme. Overall, I kinda like the intuitive controls.
When your player gets behind an object, he will automatically go into cover. However, if your auto-attack is on, he will continue shooting even when there is a missile flying directly at his face. This is where manual aim comes in handy, especially at later levels. Covers are also rendered useless by some robots that come charging directly at you. Not to mention the fact that the game actually promotes melee kills by giving you bonus credits when you do it. Yes, there is a cover-based element to this game, but I think the developers were stretching it by calling it a cover-based shooter in the description.
I have mentioned before in my previous reviews of roguelikes that I am a big fan of character progression. Without it, I find no meaning in playing a game. When nothing can be improved, why continue playing it? Fortunately, with Meltdown, there is quite a good skill and weapon progression system. When you level up, you can decide to put your skill points in any of the three tiers. One tier is to increase your damage done, one is to increase your health and shields, and one to increase weapon efficiency, movement speed and such. The weapons itself can be upgraded, but are only unlocked by reaching a certain level. So there is much to gain from coming back to this game every time you unlock your device.
Phenomenon Games must also be complimented for implementing Co-op multiplayer into Meltdown. This is a great move that allows you to be able to play with friends and family in your quest to rid these evil machines from the face of Earth. Trust me, if you enjoyed single player, multiplayer will knock your socks off with how fun it is having extra people to cover your back.
All-in-all, with an intuitive control system, good graphics and exciting music, a wonderful character progression system, and a convenient and fun multiplayer, Meltdown is a must try for Android gamers. Oh yea, did I mention that the game is free on the Google Play Store? Yes, it actually costs iOS gamers money to purchase this game, but it's free for us! Hoorah!
What are you waiting for??
