Flight – It has been the dream of man since the beginning of time. Thanks to modern technology we can finally fufill that dream. After it had been mastered in our physical universe, developers decided to take it to the next level and master it in the digital frontier. Microsoft has been doing it successfully for over a quarter century with their Flight Simulator series, so why can’t another developer do the same under their indie platform?
Along comes Pocket Starship with their latest title Rotor. While Rotor is a game, in essence I found it more to be a technical achievement, further displaying the breadth of possibilities that XNA has to offer. The game itself is simply a timed event of collecting elements scattered throughout the environment which are marked on your map. Imagine Superman 64, but actually working. That’s the problem though – the gameplay itself just isn’t very interesting.
What is interesting however, is the fact that Pocket Starship successfully mapped flight controls to a controller. As a pilot myself, I can certainly appreciate this effort and the difficulty which comes along with it. Unwieldly at first, I quickly had the controls down after just a few moments and was zipping throughout the beautifully rendered 3D environment. The game currently holds a 3 star rating on Xbox Live, and I believe the control scheme is the reason for that. While I had no problem picking it up, I have no doubt that others will have a difficult time with it and quickly lose patience. Those who take the time to appreciate what this title has to offer will greatly appreciate it in the end. I also wonder why other developers have not decided to include training modes such as this in titles like Battlefield Bad Company 2, where helicopter flight is an integral part of the multiplayer experience, but tarnished by the lack of competent pilots.
The beautiful environments are another strong point of Rotor. The city landscape is constructed of low poly figures, the fine detail ambient occlusion offer, in combination with soft camera filter and ability for the player to alter the color palette lead to an aesthetically appealing experience. I could almost hear Steppenwolf playing in the background as I floated by in a world of pink, yellow, and orange hues. The mountaintops in the distance are comprised of low poly figures as well, which generally one would consider a result of laziness, however Pocket Starship pulls this of well and in a unique artistic fashion which is consistent with the art style of the game.
So while Rotor may not be for everyone, it certainly is for anyone who is looking to see something different from the XBLIG platform. Furthermore, it also provides excellent framework for what the developer could build on to create a truly unique experience. I would love to see Pocket Starship continue to work with these tools and provide alternative gameplay elements in future titles. If you’re a fan of flight sims, or open world environments, then you’ll feel right at home in exploring Rotor’s scenery.
Rating: 
Rotor was provided for review by Pocket Starship and retails for $1. You can download a free demo on the Xbox Live Marketplace.
By at .
Pingback: Armless Octocast Episode 46: Spy Dave Octocast « Armless Octopus l We do downloadable games!