Sky Force Reloaded

Rating: 🤢😞🙁😐🙂>😊<😍
📝 STORY
👁‍🗨 VISUALS
🎶 MUSIC
🧸 FUN FACTOR
🟥⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️
🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟪🟪🟪⬜️⬜️
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
DIFFICULT
EMOTIONAL
RIVETING
♻️ REPLAYABLE
🔳🔳🔳🔳⬜️
🔳🔳⬜️⬜️⬜️
🔳🔳🔳🔳⬜️
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩⬜️
⇨ 👥 BACKSEAT POTENTIAL: 👱🏼‍♀️👩🏼‍🦳👩🏼‍🦳 | 1/3 (sleepy girlfriends)
⇨ 🖥️ BEST EXPERIENCED WITH: 🖱️⌨️ (MKB)
You can still use a gamepad – it may seem much more convenient and even natural at first, but later levels and higher difficulties require degrees of precision hardly obtainable with an analogue stick.
𝖨 𝖿𝗂𝗋𝗌𝗍 𝗉𝗅𝖺𝗒𝖾𝖽 𝖲𝗄𝗒 𝖥𝗈𝗋𝖼𝖾 𝖱𝖾𝗅𝗈𝖺𝖽𝖾𝖽 𝖺𝖻𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝖿𝗂𝗏𝖾 𝗒𝖾𝖺𝗋𝗌 𝖺𝗀𝗈 𝗈𝗇 𝗆𝗈𝖻𝗂𝗅𝖾, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖨 𝗋𝖾𝗆𝖾𝗆𝖻𝖾𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗂𝗍 𝗐𝖺𝗌 𝗈𝗇𝖾 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗒 𝖿𝖾𝗐 𝗌𝗆𝖺𝗋𝗍𝗉𝗁𝗈𝗇𝖾 𝖺𝗉𝗉𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝖼𝖺𝗉𝗍𝗎𝗋𝖾𝖽 𝗆𝖾 𝖼𝗈𝗆𝗉𝗅𝖾𝗍𝖾𝗅𝗒. 𝖨 𝖼𝖺𝗇'𝗍 𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗌𝗆𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗌𝖼𝗋𝖾𝖾𝗇𝗌 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝗎𝗌 𝖨 𝖻𝖺𝗋𝖾𝗅𝗒 𝖽𝗈 𝖺𝗇𝗒𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗈𝗇 𝗆𝗒 𝗉𝗁𝗈𝗇𝖾 𝗎𝗇𝗅𝖾𝗌𝗌 𝖨 𝖺𝖻𝗌𝗈𝗅𝗎𝗍𝖾𝗅𝗒 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝗍𝗈, 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝖲𝖥𝖱 𝗐𝖺𝗌 𝖺𝗇 𝖾𝗑𝖼𝖾𝗉𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 – 𝗂𝗍 𝗍𝗈𝗈𝗄 𝗍𝗁𝖾 '𝖿𝗎𝗇' 𝗉𝖺𝗋𝗍 𝗈𝖿 𝗏𝗂𝖽𝖾𝗈𝗀𝖺𝗆𝖾𝗌, 𝖽𝗎𝗌𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝗂𝗍 𝗈𝖿𝖿 𝗌𝗈𝗆𝖾𝗐𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗉𝗎𝗍 𝗂𝗍 𝖻𝖺𝖼𝗄 𝗈𝗇 𝖺 𝗉𝖾𝖽𝖾𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗅 – 𝖾𝗑𝖺𝖼𝗍𝗅𝗒 𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝗂𝗍 𝖻𝖾𝗅𝗈𝗇𝗀𝗌. 𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝖯𝖢 𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗌𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝗂𝗌 𝖻𝖾𝗍𝗍𝖾𝗋, 𝖻𝗂𝗀𝗀𝖾𝗋, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗉𝗋𝖾𝗍𝗍𝗂𝖾𝗋 𝗌𝗍𝗂𝗅𝗅; 𝗐𝗁𝖺𝗍'𝗌 𝗇𝗈𝗍 𝗍𝗈 𝗅𝗈𝗏𝖾?
ㅤㅤㅤThe first thing you're bound to notice is that SFR is ridiculously fine-looking for a shoot 'em up. It's gonna make you say dayum, or maybe even daayuuuum, which is totally understandable – this genre is rarely associated with eye-catching, polished 3D graphics; the best thing you typically get are a bunch of pixels, as the primary focus of shmups is always the gameplay. Thankfully, SFR doesn't fall into the 'all fur coat and no knickers' trap and delivers on gameplay as much as it excels aesthetically. The fun doesn't stop when you're done admiring the menus, the cards, the map design – au contraire, it is only the beginning.
ㅤㅤㅤNothing is perfect, however, and I found the story to be... lacking somewhat? Okay, scratch that, no understatements in this review – the story sucks. It intrigues you in the beginning, seems to develop to a certain extent and then ends in a whole lot of nothing. Disappointing and nonsensical, but also full of wasted potential – brimming with clever and inventive ideas that were thrown together willy-nilly to no apparent effect. No answers to basic questions: who are we? What's our mission exactly? Who is this Scarlett woman we're fighting all the time – what's our beef with her? And, oh, excuse me – aliens? Just what the heck is going on here?
ㅤㅤㅤBut honestly, all of that feels like a drop of liquid wax on your birthday cake from one of the candles – you mutter 'oh fuсk' under your breath, remove it (now dry) with a teaspoon and forget the nuisance immediately. The knife cuts the cake into eight equal pieces, and you can clearly read the quiet delight on the faces of your friends when they tuck in – everyone is having a good time. Sure, the story's not there, but it's not the kind of game where it's really all that important.
ㅤㅤㅤAs you progress through the levels, you will be collecting several things:
stars – to upgrade your plane in the hangar, making it more deadly – the progression is long, but incredibly satisfying every step of the way;
bonus cards – either temporary or permanent, granting useful perks;
aircraft parts – nine unique planes are available in SFR, each with their own shortcomings and advantages to suit many different situations and playstyles.
ㅤㅤㅤI can see why people call this game grindy – oftentimes you feel the necessity to replay the same level many times to gather the resources needed to adequately face what's coming next. It's a dealbreaker for some and I understand it, but I also feel like it's only a problem when the gameplay loop is not engaging enough. I didn't mind replaying levels at all because I just didn't get tired of 'em; that's the magic of Sky Force Reloaded.
ㅤㅤㅤPart of the reason why I didn't find any tedium in grinding was the presence of different optional requirements – you can simply fly to the end of each stage without a care in the world, but you can also go out of your way to destroy absolutely everyone, save all people (less fortunate pilots waiting for rescue) or stay completely untouched – and earn medals for it. How about all of that, but in one go? With a variety of planes, cards, bonuses and objectives available, SFR allows you to carefully plan and challenge yourself in many different ways. You can even compete with friends in weekly tournaments, which makes this game almost infinitely replayable.
ㅤㅤㅤOne thing they absolutely did right is the timed bonus cards; each one lasts for 15 minutes, but it's not real time and it only counts when you're playing. You don't have to put off the visit to the loo because you got the card that doubles the amount of stars earned; unlike many games nowadays, SFR knows its place and it doesn't make any disgusting attempts to encroach on your personal life. I like that a lot. Reminds me of a friend that never begs for your attention; they simply know you'll have a good time when you meet again – whenever that might be. This quiet confidence is extremely attractive.
🏆 ACHIEVEMENTS
⚔️ CHALLENGE
📅 MISSABLE?
🩺 BROKEN?
⏱ 100% PLAYTIME
🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️
✔️
✖️
~40 hours
If simply finishing all main levels is not enough for you, you may raise the stakes and go for all medals on all maps on all difficulties. Each of the 16 stages has 4 difficulty levels: Normal, Hard, Insane, and Nightmare. Saying that later stages are a horrific pain in the arsе to complete with medals would be the understatement of the year. Fortunately, you can play locally with a friend, thus doubling your firepower, and some bosses can be cheesed from safe spots – hence it's 5/7 in the challenge department. Despite the obvious difficulty, I never felt frustrated while hunting for achievements in SFR. It's a fun challenge and a great test of resolve. Good luck, pilot!
ㅤㅤㅤOne last thing that impressed me (as if you aren't already adding this game to cart) is the heavy foreshadowing of major boss encounters – few events feel more exciting in a shoot 'em up than dispatching regular enemies and suddenly noticing a gargantuan tank somewhere in the distance, its menacing shape spelling doom for the unprepared, or seeing a vast shadow of some gigantic plane flying overhead – a bird of prey patiently stalking its next victim. You don't even notice them at first because you can't focus on anything but a barrage of homing missiles launched at you from all sides, but when you learn the layout of each stage, you get to appreciate all those little details and the creativity behind them.
ㅤㅤㅤIn the wise words of someone from the forums...
was blown away on how fun and addictive it is! well done devs!
ㅤㅤㅤCouldn't agree more.

I'm gonna give it a Thumbs up because I have had fun, and I think you will too.
However, in this version of Sky Force, they went over the top with the upgrading grindfest and YOU HAVE TO GRIND IN ORDER TO PROGRESS. Your Ship will NOT be powerful enough to kill basic enemies in the later stages. I understand why they would want to do this, probably for replayability and total hours played... But ffs it makes me not even want to finish the game.

Very satisfying moment to moment gameplay!
Addicting upgrading!
Maybe a bit too grindy, but it's ok.

I already knew Sky Force from mobile, yet Steam is a better platform than mobile for gameplay. Here are some tips for ya:
– Before you play, go to options –> controls. There, activate the auto fire and mouse options. It makes the game easier.
– Do not spend your stars on health, you won't need health if you learn how to evade bullets, lasers and missiles.
– Stars are VERY important. This is your money source. I prefer to maximize the magnet at first, so I can collect them without wasting time.
– In the first stages, focus on upgrading the main cannon and magnet. Then, you should go with missiles and upgrade ships with specials (laser or bomb, I do not prefer to use the shield as bomb’s explosion removes all bullets in the air).
– Unlock three difficulties in stage 1, 2, 3 and 4. These stages will be farming areas for stars at mid-game
– Gladius is good at only early, Enforcer is good overall, Limp berserker is best for me and Ace of spades is very good for star and card farming.
Hope you that helps!

Hands down one of the best shoot'em ups on Steam. The team behind this game know how to make a perfect arcade experience. I recommend playing with a friend , coop (either local or remote play) makes it even better.

Great game!!

Vertical shooter with a fantasy military theme. Lots of challenges to do, ships to unlock, systems to upgrade and secrets to collect. Great presentation and audio. Pretty challenging.
Listed on the Shoot 'em up Database