Review: Blast Off

Posted by Chris K on December 4th, 2009 | 0 Comments | Tags: Blast Off

I was pretty psyched when I saw that Halfbrick had another game coming out on minis. The first game they released, Echoes, left me with a really great first impression of the company. That being said, I was thoroughly impressed with Halfbrick’s sophomore release.

Anyone can pick this title up and figure it out within a few levels. You simply just have to press X to use the rocket and use either the d-pad or the analog nub to control the craft. More advanced users can speed up the planets before they launch just so they get that perfectly timed launch. To clear a stage you much collect astronauts that are floating about. Each level has 3 rankings that you can achieve: Silver – getting the minimum amount of astronauts, Gold – getting all the astronauts, and lastly Halfbrick – getting all the astronauts and beating the dev high score.

I really had a problem going on to the next levels at the beginning. I obsessively trying to get the Halfbrick scores. After getting all the way through the easy planets I decided it would be better if I just tried to finish them all first :). By the time I got all the way through the game, I was glad with my decision. I don’t think I will be getting Halfbrick scores on most these levels for a while. Each one is like a puzzle, you have to find the quickest path that uses the least amount of fuel. The music in the game was also better than I expected, each difficulty has a new song and they all sound fitting for the atmosphere this title creates.

There wasn’t much wrong with this title. The only glaring thing that sort of ticked me off was the use of the PSP system name for the highscores. That is a real pain if you want to play with a friend, as they will all score the same name for the scores. There were only a few other things that I wish were implemented, but they in no way make the title bad for not having them. One thing would be having the trophy system from Halfbrick’s other minis title, Echoes. I found that really innovative and was a little sad when I didn’t see it in this title. I also wish that there was a way to see the gravitational fields. It would make the game a little easier for some I think. But as I said before, the game is fine right now as is.

Just like with Echoes, you can’t really go wrong here. You probably won’t find a better game for the price on PSP, that includes Echoes. I look forward to whatever Halfbrick is bringing to minis next.

For more info on our review policy click here. This review is for the PlayStation Portable version of the game.

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