Review:
StarCannon

Lost in translation. It was an interesting movie a few years ago. More directly, it seems to be the case with Jagex Game Studio’s iPhone port of their browser-based Online SHMUP (Shoot’Em-Up) of the same name. I actually spent some time with both editions, even though the scope of this review was originally limited to the mobile app. I felt the insight would help our readers in making a decision regarding StarCannon as a gaming property.
Simple truth is, the browser-based variant is – discounting one or two things – vastly superior. Now, I’m not going to spend much time on said version, mainly because it’s not what I was asked to review. I did, however, want the above on record because it would be a shame to discount the game as a whole based solely off one questionable port.

So what exactly are the major shortcomings of the iPhone app? Sluggish controls and toned down boss fights.

Like most SHMUPs found on the iPhone, StarCannon translates the motions of the player’s finger into flight commands for the starship (with firing being automatic as long as your finger is held on the screen). Unlike some of the better iApp games however, StarCannon does a somewhat poor job of it. Even worse, this apparent deficiency grows in frustration value as the player progresses throughout the stages and is beset by an ever increasing swarm of enemies. Near the end, I found myself fighting the controls more often than I was fighting the horde of bloodthirsty insectiods.

In addition – and possibly as a result of – the iPhone app has a decreased difficulty curve which becomes particularly apparent during the boss fights. The boss fights in the original version, while not as brutal as some of the more classic SHMUPs, were noticeably more difficult than what I experienced while playing the mobile counterpart. I was a bit disappointed as a result, especially since the stages themselves weren’t very challenging.

Now, with that said, there are definitely some improvements over the original as well, the most notable of which being the brightened visual palette. This change impacts both the special effects and the waves of enemies you’ll be facing down. Whereas the PC version suffered from an overly subdued motif that understated both the enemy threat and the amount of firepower at the player’s disposal, the iPhone port highlights them. It had a noticeable impact on my appreciation of the game as a whole.