Hands-On Preview: CS.One
June 2, 2009
Chillingo along with developer h.grenade have provided us with a final build of Circuit Strike.One (or CS.One), and from our short time with the game, we are definitely hooked.
The idea behind the game is to score as many points as possible before losing all three of your lives. The levels consist of large open environments with enemies scattered all around. In CS.One, there are no walls so the action never stops. You will always have your fingers pressed firmly against the screen, trying to avoid enemy fire to destroy the Data.Core and get to the next level.
To move on to the next level, you must destroy the power supplies which are generating the shields around the Data.Core. Once you have taken down all of the power supplies, you must destroy the Data.Core within 30 seconds, otherwise the game is over.
Killing multiple enemies at once adds to your multiplyer. Enemies also drop ghost data upon being destroy, which you can collect to add to your Bullet.Time. Bullet.Time is exactly what it sounds like. It allows you to slow the game down to a snail's pace while also making your ship invulnerable. Your Bullet.Time meter is located in the top right-hand corner of the screen. You can build up the meter with each piece of Ghost.Data you pick up. To deploy Bullet.Time, you simply shake your device, and you can shake it again to disengage.
The real trick to the game is learning the controls. h.grenade has included a basic and an advanced control scheme, and from my short time with the game, I would recommend sticking with the basic controls. The controls consist of a on-screen thumbstick on the left-hand side of the screen, and the right side is saved for your thrusters and weapon firing. To move your ship, simply hold your thumb down on the right 1/3 of the screen, this will activate your thrusters. The ship controls just like the ship in Asteroids, so be very gentle, you don't want to hold it in for very long. You can also activate your airbrake and reverse thrusters by dragging your right thumb from top to bottom on the same portion of the screen. Getting a hang of the controls is actually extremely rewarding, so give it time, you will eventually figure it out.
CS.One will feature three difficulty levels, 30 achievements, and local and online leader boards. The game will be priced at $.99 at launch, but will return to its regular price of $2.99 after its next major update.
Fans of classic arcade shooters should keep an eye on this one, especially if you are looking for a real challenge. CS.One should be available in the App Store shortly.
