Play Zaxxon Escape On iOS, That’s Right We Said Zaxxon
Zaxxon Escape ($0.99) by SEGA is not what you think. That is, if you are over 30 years of age, you will probably be crushed when you read this review. If you’ve never heard of Zaxxon and didn’t spend your entire allowance trying to beat it in the early '80s, then you will probably love this game.
Zaxxon Escape is an endless runner for the iPhone and iPad. I know. Crushing, isn’t it? OK, now that you’ve gotten over the blow of not being able to relive your childhood, lets take a look at this game for what it is, not what it isn’t.
As endless runner games go, this one is very good. It is a little bit different than others in the genre because you must tilt your device in order to rotate the Zaxxon Prime ship. You still have to swipe to turn left or right, but to get through those tiny crevasses you’ll need to use tilt controls.
In addition to tilting the screen, players swipe the direction of the arrow to turn and tap the screen to fire a weapon. Use the weapon to pick up power ups and destroy doors that are in the way.
Players fly the Zaxxon Prime through the asteroid city, collecting coins and avoiding obstacles. The ship flies automatically and players must use fast reflexes to rotate through tight spots and avoid crashing.
Coins can be used to buy power ups, like “Auto-Pilot,” which takes control of your ship so you don’t have to worry about rotating or tapping. If you collect enough coins, you can buy new ships, too.
If you don’t want to wait until you’ve collected 50,000 coins (the cost of a new ship) you can buy them through in-app purchases.
Every time you replay the game, the course is different, so you won’t be so familiar with the first 30 seconds of the game that it bores you (unlike the arcade game). This action-packed sci-fi adventure will keep you moving from start to finish.
If you were hoping for a port of the 1982 classic arcade game, you should just walk away right now. If you are willing to accept change, or have just never heard of Zaxxon before, this is a worthy game. It looks good and is challenging and fun. If you are a fan of the endless runner genre, you’ll enjoy this game.
