Sky Mercenaries
- December 15, 2014
- PolarityFlow, Adrian Zingg
Get on Steam"Sky Mercenaries" is a 2D shoot 'em up released on Steam featuring 8 worlds, over 32 story missions, and endless random content. Choose your pilot, fighter, and loadout to battle over 50 enemy types and challenging boss fights. Upgrade your pilots, drones, and fighters, and unlock abilities in 3 skill trees for increased customization and firepower. Get ready for an epic sky battle!
Reviews
- The game features a unique color-switching mechanic that adds a strategic layer to the gameplay, reminiscent of classic titles like Ikaruga.
- Players appreciate the RPG elements, allowing for character and ship upgrades that enhance the overall experience and provide a sense of progression.
- The game has a nostalgic feel, reminiscent of old-school shoot 'em ups, with enjoyable gameplay that can be both fun and challenging.
- The user interface is confusing and poorly designed, making it difficult for players to navigate menus and understand game mechanics.
- The sound effects and music are often criticized for being bland and unengaging, detracting from the overall experience.
- Many players find the graphics to be outdated and lacking polish, which can make the game feel less appealing compared to other titles in the genre.
- music16 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the unique themes and solid compositions that enhance the gameplay experience, while others find it forgettable or lacking in quality. Notably, the soundtrack features a variety of styles, from ambient to upbeat, reminiscent of classic games, but opinions vary widely on its effectiveness in distinguishing levels and creating an engaging atmosphere. Overall, while some praise the music as fantastic and fitting, others criticize it as uninspired or poorly executed.
“One thing that stood out for me was the soundtrack.”
“There are 8 levels with three stages per level, and each level has a unique theme, both in music and aesthetic.”
“Additionally, the music is absolutely fantastic.”
“If I had a few gripes, then I'd say the music wasn't gripping me, but that also boils down to me having a rather specific taste, so this would probably count more as a personal opinion instead of feeling fully objective.”
“Soundtrack sucks big time.”
“The UI is lifeless, the music is horrible (really poor quality on the menus and in-game) and doesn't feel inspired or interesting in any way.”
- gameplay12 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The gameplay features a color-switching and absorption mechanic reminiscent of "Ikaruga," which adds strategic depth to the traditional shoot-em-up experience, though some players feel it falls short compared to more polished titles. The game incorporates RPG elements and a leveling system for pilots and ships, enhancing the challenge and engagement, especially at higher difficulties. However, the overall execution is described as somewhat unpolished, with recent updates introducing new features that may require additional grinding.
“Granted, there might be a slew of various titles which all serve the same purpose of providing gameplay experiences compatible to this one, and to each and everyone their own what they might be choosing; here it can be acknowledged that the developers did put thought and effort into it.”
“The mechanic with differently-colored weapons and how you deal with them by switching schemes adds a little extra layer of strategic combat you probably won't really expect from a regular shoot-em-up title, and at higher difficulties it can heighten tension as you either need to switch more frequently or choose not to in order to get through safely.”
“It's well-implemented here, for a fun and satisfying level of challenge -- and the 'overloads' take the mechanic to its (super fun) logical conclusion in my opinion.”
“I find this pretty decent despite the fact that I find the color-changing and absorption mechanic sub-par to other more well-known games.”
“It is really hard to avoid getting hit (which makes the Ikaruga-like color swapping mechanic useful) and things just feel really... unpolished.”
“First off, it would largely be a generic shmup if not for the polarization/bullet-absorption mechanic a la 'Ikaruga' or the latter 'Exceed' games.”
- story7 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The game features minimal storytelling, focusing primarily on gameplay mechanics rather than character development or narrative depth. Players can upgrade their pilots and ships while progressing through a series of missions, but the lack of a substantial story or background for the characters leaves the experience feeling somewhat hollow. Despite this, the diverse missions and enemy types provide enough variety to keep gameplay engaging.
“Fight over 50 enemy types on 8 worlds in over 32 story missions.”
“Between levels, you can upgrade your stats and enhance the story a little.”
“This game has no real story and characters have nearly no background information.”
“Despite not having a very large number of areas (24 missions and 8 bonus), each feels different enough to not get old even when replaying the early levels to train a new pilot or when grinding to upgrade a plane.”
“Between levels you can upgrade your stats and enhance the story a little.”
- graphics6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The graphics in Sky Mercenaries receive mixed reviews, with some players noting that while the visuals are considered mediocre and muddy, they can still evoke a retro charm reminiscent of older games. However, the overall aesthetic is criticized for being unexciting and difficult to navigate, detracting from the gameplay experience. Despite the unique themes across levels, the lack of clarity in the visuals hampers player engagement.
“There are 8 levels with three stages per level, and each level has a unique theme, both in music and aesthetic.”
“Although it may take a few runs through each of the levels to gain enough credits to upgrade and proceed, this is a very enjoyable aspect of the game, as the controls, collision detection, and graphics are all excellent.”
“Game has minuses - old type of graphics but today some games also have retro style and have good reputation (Binding of Isaac) and price - but discount solves the problem.”
“The main problems with Sky Mercenaries are its confusing interface, obtuse menus, repetitious and poor sound effects, mediocre graphics, and fairly uninteresting levels.”
“The in-game visuals are muddy and make it very difficult to see what is actually going on.”
“The graphics and sound effects don't have the 'kick' I crave in a shmup; very little is explained about the controls, and the menus are annoying to navigate through.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding in the game to be well-balanced, providing just enough challenge without becoming overly repetitive. While some repetition is present, the variety in missions helps maintain engagement during grinding sessions, especially for upgrades. However, recent updates have introduced additional grinding elements, which may affect the experience for some players.
“It gets a little repetitious, but that's where the grinding comes into play.”
“The recent 1.1 update added a lot of new features that extend gameplay, but add a bit more grinding.”
“Despite not having a very large number of areas (24 missions and 8 bonus), each feels different enough to not get old even when replaying the early levels to train a new pilot or when grinding to upgrade a plane.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The addition of Steam Workshop functionality significantly enhances the game's replayability, allowing players to create and download custom levels, resulting in virtually limitless gameplay experiences.
“A huge addition in one of the most recent updates is the Steam Workshop functionality. You can create and download levels for the game, meaning endless replayability.”
“The variety of choices and paths you can take in each playthrough keeps the game fresh and exciting, encouraging you to come back for more.”
“With multiple endings and character builds, every playthrough feels unique, making it hard to put the game down.”
“The game lacks meaningful choices, making replayability feel pointless.”
“Once you've completed the main story, there's little incentive to play again.”
“The game doesn't offer enough variety in gameplay to keep me coming back.”
