Opinions differ drastically in regards to what is considered an adequate amount of content in a game for the price it is sold at. The issue these days is that one may end up paying $60 for a game that's been hyped as the next best thing since sliced bread only to find that it falls terribly short in every way. As a gamer and a consumer, my favorite thing is when a game comes along that is incredible, fresh and affordable. "Who's That Flying?!" leaves no room for debate as this new to Steam indie side-scrolling shooter brings an exceptionally fresh take on the genre while barely leaving a dent in your wallet at only $5.99.
Originally released on both Xbox Live and PSN, "Who's That Flying?!" has entered the Steam marketplace during what some would consider a gaming draught with not many new games to go throw one's money at. Aside from its excellent price, WTF?! (awesome) is a great concept that delivers on every front. The cartoony graphics set the perfect tone for dishing out some superhero justice while the epic music keeps the upbeat tempo alive throughout each level. WTF?! features a whopping 43 levels spread across 3 game modes. The 15 levels of the main story mode cover 5 different stages, each stage featuring their own boss. The stages represent different cities, and the change in themes is a nice touch. Along with the main story are an infinite mode and a challenge mode that are unlocked with the completion of levels (challenge mode being unlocked after completing the story mode all together).
Since side-scrolling shooters have been around for what seems like forever, making one that exhibits new concepts that work well with the tried and true mechanics of the genre is a task all unto itself. First thing you'll notice about WTF?! is the absence of health for your character. Instead, you're tasked with not letting little black monsters called Ravagers make it past you to eat away at your city's health. To add to this, only the little Ravagers can hurt your city. All larger enemies, including bosses, are only there to stun you and let the little ones feast on your town. If you're a perfectionist like I am, this adds to the anxiety of trying to get perfect scores on each level in a good way.
The story of WTF?! is silly with your hero being put on trial by other heroes/planets for not avoiding the invasion all together. The cutscenes are great as all the characters speak in gibberish while text boxes display the meaning behind their nonsensical sounds. I found the whole presentation to be very light-hearted and fun with the range of colors making every effect pop. The character design, from your little hero all the way up to the monstrously large bosses, is superb as the crisp colors and strange yet goofy creatures make the whole game easy on the eyes. This is needed as achieving a perfect score in WTF?! is no easy feat. If you want the challenge, the game gives you the choice to pursue it.
While killing enemies you'll rack up a combo meter that can be used to unleash a super shot. The top version of these super shots being the Hyper-Beam which shoots a huge laser destroying any enemies in its path. Using these bonus shots properly is part of the strategy and is necessary to doing well. Also, don't fret if you don't want to control your hero with the keyboard, WTF?! is thankfully Xbox controller enabled.
For any price this game is fantastic, and at only $5.99 its an absolute steal. Mediatonic has made some great games in the past and they're continuing their release of quality titles with WTF?!. The colorful characters and delightful feel of the game assist the gameplay in creating a very casual experience. In terms of longevity, diehard fans of this genre will strive for perfection and any player completing the story still has two more modes to blast their way through. Go do yourself a favor and pick WTF?! up, it costs less than fast-food and its so much healthier for you.
[Who's That Flying?!]-$5.99 (Steam)
