Game: WTF?! (Who’s That Flying?!)
Publisher/Developer:Mediatonic
Genre: Side Scrolling Shooter
Price: £3.99, €4.99 and $5.99
Consoles: PS3 (Reviewed), PSP
Earlier this year, Mediatonic produced one of the greatest indie games of all time, namely Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess. Although it was an extremely short game the game exuded charm and humor, not to mention blistering gameplay. Now, they have struck again and released WTF?! or Who’s That Flying?! Is it worthy of standing next it’s creator’s previous title? Exactly who is flying? Find out below!
Story
You are the Guardian of Earth. As such, it is your responsibility to stop marauders and such BEFORE they get to Earth. Unfortunately, you may have failed in your last endeavor. So, the Guardians of the other planets have put you on trial. Are you guilty? Are you innocent? Will Uranus’ name ever stop being intrinsically funny? You will have to buy the $5.99 game to find out.
One of the best parts about the story is that it is hilarious. From the very title of the game to the constant harASSment of Uranus (reBUTTal anyone) the laugh out loud funniness of the story is awesome. Sure, it is a little immature, but what humor isn’t? This game will make you laugh and will let you really imagine what each character is like. As far as story goes, it is not deep, but rather it relies on quirky characters, humor and charm to carry it’s player through.
Gameplay
As the Guardian of Earth, you have super powers like flight and melee attacks. As a result of an accident though, you have been surgically implanted with a laser cannon. Much like Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess, this game is obsessed with combos. Kill many enemies in a row and your cannon will get upgraded. And an upgraded cannon will mean the difference between failure and success in this game. Upgrades include a machine gun-like laser, and a solid laser that will destroy anything in the way. For every level, you are allotted 50 bad guys to kill. If all 50 get past you, you are pronounced guilty on all charges and you must retry the level.
So, you can shoot and melee the attackers of Earth. There are also mini boss battles that require a quick time event to beat. Beat the QTE and the boss, as well as any enemies around him, will be killed. Some of the aliens will also shoot electricity at you that will stun you. In theory, if you press the X button, the stun will wear off faster. However, I never noticed it made that much of a difference and that avoidance is the main technique to use to beat those suckers.
Finally, there are the humongous boss battles. For each level, the boss usually has a different tactic and special attack. In fact, each level also has specialized minions and the boss is usually just the bigger version of those minions. The boss battles can be tough, but they are also very fun. However, they also are extremely frustrating, as each battle has a time limit of 3 minutes. For whatever arbitrary and nonsensical reason Mediatonic put this time limit in, it is absolutely the worst possible part of the game. The boss battles are already challenging and rewarding. But the introduction of the timer severely unbalances the game and should never have been implemented. All in all though, this problem is overshadowed by the rest of the incredible features in the game.
And before I forget, there is also a challenge mode and an infinite mode based on each of the four levels in the game. But they are just minor variations of the rest of the game. But there is one other cool thing. Based on how well you do in the levels, you get stamps and “evidence” unlocks that contribute to the story experience.
Audio and Graphics
The soundtrack in the game is fittingly “superhero” like and the sound effects are not too shabby either. It is pretty cool ripping the invaders apart and hearing the squish as you do. It would have been awesome if there was voice acting in the cut scenes, but they are short enough not to really need it. And the text is easily readable, so that is a plus.
Graphics are standard fare. They are shiny and fairly detailed, but nothing to go crazy over. Although if you let too many of the attackers thorough, your city will crumble before your eyes and that is a good indicator of how well (or not) you are doing in the level.
Overview
Other than the inexplicable boss time limits, this game is terrific. For the small price tag, Mediatonic packed the game full of winning features. Even achievements are in the game. With incredible gameplay and crazy funny dialogue, this game is the perfect game to get when your broke and need something to take on the go or play on the couch.
I give WTF?!:
