Toy Raid
Score: 78% ESRB: Not Rated Publisher: Flying Tiger Entertainment Developer: Flying Tiger Entertainment Media: Download/1 Players: 1 Genre: Arcade
Graphics & Sound: Apple's iPhone may not be an industry leader when it comes to gaming, but it has undeniably carved out a niche of its own. There are a number of hardcore titles, such as Zenonia and Wolfenstein 3D. On the other hand, there is an abundance of casual games, such as Trism and all the Bejeweled clones. Toy Raid falls firmly into the second camp, but it's not a game that hardcore players should scoff at. As long as you're not expecting a deep experience, you'll find Toy Raid to be worth both your time and the small amount of money it asks of you. Regardless of which wave you're currently trying to complete, you'll see the same background, albeit with a different color scheme. Toy Raid is a simple, unassuming game that doesn't put too much stock in its visuals. There's not much to see, other than the flying (and exploding) planes and paratroopers. Toy Raid only contains a smattering of sound effects, but they are all used liberally. The computer voice should be familiar to just about anyone who has ever played a game. The squishy sound of exploding paratroopers is the real stand-out, even though it's repetitive and extremely cartoony. There's no music, but in this kind of game, music is not necessary (or even practical, for that matter).
Gameplay: You are in a base that has a giant cannon sticking out of it. Your objectives are to blow everything up and keep your enemies from doing the same to your base. As the above paragraph implies, Toy Raid is an absurdly simple game. It's essentially Space Invaders with a couple of tweaks. One: since you're in a base, you remain stationary at all times. You can't move left to right, but you can control the angle at which you fire the cannon. Two: there is no method to the madness. Everything flies around in a rather chaotic fashion. Three: the cannon fires automatically, which is unfortunately to the game's detriment -- more on that in a bit. Four: you can get power-ups by blasting special crates. These are a big help, because the standard gun's rate of fire is rather slow. If there's a problem with how Toy Raid plays, it's the fact that it requires some quick reflexes in the later waves. This wouldn't be much of a problem if the cannon moved a bit more quickly (or if you were able to fire the cannon yourself). It's a small nitpick, but when there's so much chaos on the screen, it starts to feel like you're doing a bit too much spray and pray.
Difficulty: Toy Raid's difficulty level is similar to that in games such as Balloon Fight, Galaga, and yes, Space Invaders. It's a game that gets progressively more difficult after you finish each wave of enemies. Wave 1 is naturally a pushover stage, but after you complete the first few waves, enemy aircraft will move more quickly and paratroopers will appear in greater numbers. Toy Raid's simplicity is both a boon and a curse. The good side is that there is no learning curve -- you couldn't even trip on it. The downside is the fact that there's not much replay value. Since it's a game with almost no depth, you won't find yourself coming back to it all that often. If you play console or PC games, you probably won't bother taking the time to master attack patterns (if there are any). After a few waves, you'll likely want to play something else. Luckily, Toy Raid allows you to suspend your game and return to it later.
Game Mechanics: Toy Raid's gameplay mechanics can be counted with one hand. Most of your time with Toy Raid won't even involve the iPhone's touchscreen. This game is almost exclusively played with tilt controls. Your tank will fire at different angles, depending on how you are holding your iPhone. In Toy Raid, the only time you'll need to use the iPhone's touchscreen is when you are completely surrounded by your enemies. A little nuclear bomb icon rests at the bottom-right of the touchscreen. Tapping that icon will unleash an explosion that wipes everything out, with the exception of your base. This mechanic isn't innovative (we've seen it in nearly every dual-stick shooter), but it works for this kind of game. You probably took one quick look at these screenshots and immediately decided whether or not Toy Raid belongs among your ever-growing collection of iPhone applications. At $1.99, it's a good value. If it's simple, shallow fun you're looking for, Toy Raid will absolutely do you right. If you're looking for something with a bit more depth, you're probably not going to get much mileage out of it. Still, think about it -- $1.99 doesn't go half this far these days.
-FenixDown, GameVortex Communications AKA Jon Carlos
Related Links: Official Website of Toy Raid
Darkest of Days LittleBigPlanet: Game of the Year Edition