Non Flying Soldiers Review
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Non Flying Soldiers Review

Our Review by Carter Dotson on May 18th, 2012
Rating: starstarstarblankstarblankstar :: NOT QUITE HATCHED
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Non Flying Soldiers is a puzzle game where players must try to keep birds from falling to their doom.

Developer: Blue Shadow Games
Price: $0.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0
Device Reviewed On: iPad 2

Graphics / Sound Rating: starstarstarstarblankstar
Game Controls Rating: starstarhalfstarblankstarblankstar
Gameplay Rating: starstarstarblankstarblankstar
Replay Value Rating: starstarstarblankstarblankstar

Overall Rating: starstarstarblankstarblankstar

How some birds that evolved without being able to fly is beyond me. How the birds of Non Flying Soldiers made it this far is an even bigger mystery, because not only can they not fly, but they hatch into hazardous situations. Their natural response is to run forward unceasingly without any thought put into whether stopping would be a good idea or not. Since letting them just run to their doom is not an option, the player must try to lay down springboards and turbo pads in order to get them going faster or higher, safety nets to stop them in mid-air, and barriers to change their course.

As I played Non Flying Soldiers, I had to wonder why the game wasn't set on a grid or track system of some sort, especially as many of the levels involve having the birds in three rows. There's just a fundamental awkwardness of trying to get the birds to hit just the exact ramp or speed lane because it's so easy to misplace the items. If it was on a grid, then it would also solve the problem with the game taking place in three dimensions, but only offering essentially two-dimensional views. The top camera view makes it impossible to tell the height necessary to make some gaps, and the "Perspective" view makes moving items on the depth axis much more difficult. It's just frustrating to play, having to scroll back to the beginning of the level just to get the birds on their way.

While it can be frustrating to play, the game has some interesting puzzles to try and solve, and the trying to plan out all of its timing-based puzzles are challenging but rewarding when they work. The core of the game just doesn't feel like it quite works at the moment. If the camera and control issues are solved at some point, this game could be fun, but there are just some deep problems at the heart of the game right now.

iPhone Screenshots

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iPad Screenshots

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