I Phone Review

We love bringing you the most comprehensive iPhone game reviews, especially for games that you must not overlook. Finally arriving in the App Store is Aera, the side-scrolling flight simulator. An enjoyable experience is delivered by the beautiful graphics and awesome controls - no matter if you're enjoying the scenery or battling other aircraft.

Aera contains four planes (three unlockable) with which to traverse the skies over three locations (two unlockable). You can fly your plane in any of several missions: Aerobatic/Solo, Dog Fight, Race, or Free Flight. Aerobatic/Solo tasks you to fly the plane while collecting a specified number of floating objects within a pre-determined amount of time. You'll need to be quick and accurate as you fly through rings and avoid hovering mines as you follow the path of balls to success. Dog Fight pits you against another plane. Shoot him down before he shoots you down. To help you accomplish this, you have guns with unlimited ammunition, as well as a limited stock of rockets. A destroyed enemy will rain bonus boxes upon the land. Snag these boxes to pick up points, rockets, and the like. Race, as you might have guessed, is a timed flight mission where you'll need to avoid the mines if you want to survive. If you prefer to just enjoy the controls or check out the scenery, you can also choose Free Flight to get your fix. You can either play in Campaign mode or Quick Play, choosing from Easy, Medium, and Hard difficulty levels.

The 3D game graphics are very polished and help give depth to the 2D gameplay. Sounds are appropriate, with realistic propeller effects and accurate-sounding crashes/explosions. There is no background music, but the game doesn't feel as though it's lacking, given its goal of pseudo-simulation rather than full-on arcade. The controls are outstanding. Most of the plane controls are handled through the accelerometer, tilting the device to change the plane's attitude. A sharp shake of the device will cause a 180-degree flip. On-screen buttons control throttle, boost (necessary when making steep ascents), firing guns/rockets, and changing camera angles. The placement of the buttons leaves the interface feeling uncluttered, though all possible needs are at your quick disposal. Aera includes detailed tutorial explanations, as well as a walkthrough requiring you to complete certain tasks in order to move on.



Features abound in Aera. The "TimeBack" aspect will auto-reverse time if you nail an object. This give you the chance to try your hand at that section of the game again. Essentially, this gives you the opportunity to continue playing without starting from the beginning of the level. The AppSmile Team was glad to have this helpful feature. If you want to evaluate your flight, you can do so by watching the video replay of your completed mission. No online play exists except for local wi-fi multiplayer. Dual or Capture the Flag mode are your options here. Sensitivity can be adjusted in the Configuration menu. A Prediction line can also be turned on and off here. The Prediction line is a virtual path you will take if you remain at the current altitude and speed.

There may be other flight simulators, side scrollers, and arcade fliers available in the app store, but none that so nicely marries the three. Dog fighting is especially fun and the controls feel very intuitive. Solo can be a fun way to show off your skills while giving you a goal to achieve. It's just a nice presentation all around. In fact, we can't remember too many iPhone game reviews that we had so much fun writing. You can tell that a lot of work was put into making this game special. Replay value is high, as the fun, smooth gameplay alone will keep me coming back for more. There are also several Achievements to be earned during the course of gameplay. Unlocking crafts/locations and replaying previously unlocked areas will also increase the replay value. iChromo sends Aera flying into the app store with an attractive $0.99 price tag, a bargain for this terrific 4-star stunner.