Empire Fighter 3D

There can never be too many shmups on the mobile. Sure, some are a lot better than others, but facing down a new armada single handed is always a great way to pass an hour. So this latest aerial battlefield direct from Russia is very welcome, thanks initially to the sterling visuals.

As the title suggests, there’s a three dimensional element to the gameplay. What the developer has wisely chosen to do is to overlay the nicely drawn sprites on top of a 3D landscape, which means the handset is able to handle the hot shmup action quite easily, while still providing some great looking level designs.

Your first reaction will undoubtedly be the same as mine - that Empire Fighter 3D is a gratingly slow game. The ship fairly crawls across the screen, but once you make it through the first level and into the hangar a quick upgrade changes everything.

The fact that you’re able to save up your points and put them to good use - buying new weapons, defences and engines - is a great twist to the standard vertically scrolling shooter action, and evolves the game as you progress.

Within a couple of well-played levels, your ship is transformed and the action becomes significantly hotter. This makes Empire Fighter 3D feel like something of a well kept secret, and the added motivation for wiping out each and every wave is vital to its tangible addictiveness.

All in all, this is a classical shmup in every sense, without too many surprises in its gameplay. But the restrained, elegant use of its 3D visuals and upgrade system combine to provide a game that expands as you play, and keeps you on your toes while glued to the screen far longer than the game would initially deserve.

Empire Fighter 3D

What begins as an off-the-shelf and sluggish shooter quickly evolves into an intensive, evolved arcade experience, with some stunning visuals and addictive gameplay keeping your thumbs glued to the keypad
Score
Spanner Spencer
Spanner Spencer
Yes. Spanner's his real name, and he's already heard that joke you just thought of. Although Spanner's not very good, he's quite fast, and that seems to be enough to keep him in a regular supply of free games and away from the depressing world of real work.