Galaxy on Fire 2 - Supernova Review
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Galaxy on Fire 2 - Supernova Review

Our Review by Rob Rich on October 5th, 2012
Rating: starstarstarstarblankstar :: COULD BURN BRIGHTER
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Supernova may very well be Keith T. Maxwell's most dangerous adventure to date, but it might also be his most frustrating.

Developer: FISHLABS
Price: $6.99 In-App Purchase
Version: 1.1.6
App Reviewed on: iPhone 3GS

Graphics / Sound Rating: starstarstarstarhalfstar
User Interface Rating: starstarstarstarblankstar
Gameplay Rating: starstarstarstarblankstar
Re-use / Replay Value Rating: starstarstarhalfstarblankstar

Overall Rating: starstarstarstarblankstar

The largest complaint I typically see (and often make myself) about an excellent game is the desire for more. More content. More activities. More reasons to come back for, well, more. Galaxy on Fire 2 - Supernova offers just that for fans of the iOS space adventure. As great as it is to have all the “more” we’ve been craving, I’d find it much more enjoyable if I didn’t have to slog through so much frustration to access any of it.

For the uninitiated, Galaxy on Fire 2 tells the continuing story of Keith Maxwell: Professional Indestructible Space Hero and All that Implies. After saving the galaxy from multiple threats several times over, things are finally getting serious. A supernova is threatening to destroy the entirety of Midorian space. At first the not so humble space jockey sets out to help with various rescue missions and refugee escorts, but soon he finds himself smack in the middle of all manner of interstellar politics and intrigue.

One significant addition to Supernova is the effect of gamma radiation. It doesn’t sound like much but constantly being under a time limit when in the affected systems adds quite a bit of tension to the missions. The small visual effects such as flames pouring off of space stations and curving around the gamma shield are also a pretty cool graphical touch to these environments, even in the non-high definition version. I was also impressed with the variety of the story missions which range from simply attacking enemies to repairing transports, system hopping in order to track specific characters down, fending off enemies with a turret while remaining stationary due to picking up passengers, and more.

However as interesting and tense as the radiation can be, it can often leave players in a no win situation even if they survive a tough fight. The aforementioned system hopping mission was also a tad bothersome as it drags on for a bit and isn’t very interesting in the first place. The biggest problem for me, however, was the “transport a volatile substance” mission. If I boost, take a hit, or even turn too quickly things become unstable. If it gets too bad, instant death. Tense, yes, but also annoying because I had to jump from risky system to risky system as carefully as possible and any little skirmish typically resulted in death. Then I warped straight into the middle of a skirmish on the last waypoint. No time to react, just all guns on me and boom. Not pleasant.

Despite my grievances there’s really no reason for fans of the game to avoid the Supernova expansion. It offers more than enough new stuff, both story driven and not, to keep even the most diehard Galaxy on Fire fan busy for a while. It just requires a fair amount of patience to see it all.

iPhone Screenshots

(click to enlarge)

Galaxy on Fire 2™ screenshot 1 Galaxy on Fire 2™ screenshot 2 Galaxy on Fire 2™ screenshot 3 Galaxy on Fire 2™ screenshot 4 Galaxy on Fire 2™ screenshot 5

iPad Screenshots

(click to enlarge)

Galaxy on Fire 2™ screenshot 6 Galaxy on Fire 2™ screenshot 7 Galaxy on Fire 2™ screenshot 8 Galaxy on Fire 2™ screenshot 9 Galaxy on Fire 2™ screenshot 10
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