It was only a matter of time. Space Harrier, the gold-standard classic that you may have played back in the mists of antiquity in the arcade, has risen anew in the guise of Summus' Metalion, ready to cast all other forward-flying shoot-'em-ups into the cell phone game lake of fire and proclaim its eternal dominion!
We don't know the story behind Metalion, but that's OK--we can make one up. Basically, you are an angry space marine of some kind who has donned a marvelous robot combat suit so you can take to the air and gun down endless waves of evil invading aliens or armored insurance salesmen or whatever. It's Space Harrier, people.
Metalion looks incredible. Summus has cooked up some proprietary 3D-ish graphics engine it calls BlueFuel for use in its new game, and this reviewer is glad it did. You play the game from behind your nicely animated hero, who hurtles over a beautiful 3D grid constantly dodging missiles and shooting globes of energy. The sound effects are a little unusual, sounding like a series of cymbal crashes, but they get the job done.
Control is where Metalion really shines. The kind people at Summus correctly reasoned that since the firing button would always be in use, they might as well just have the robot on constant autofire. This frees you to fly all over the screen, giving you a chance to dodge the constant stream of nastiness headed your way. Although Metalion runs really quickly for a cell phone game, there is a price to pay: All of the visual theatrics will suck your battery dry in a hurry.
If you can't beat 'em, copy 'em--a sound adage indeed. If Space Harrier was fun back in the day, Metalion is even better on a cell. The gameplay comes fast and furious, with munitions, enemies, power-ups, and clouds whizzing toward the screen at relativistic speeds--and since all threats originate in the distance, you'll have some time to contemplate your impending doom. Metalion is absurdly easy to pick up, but it grows difficult quickly; later in the game you'll have to make sure you keep your hands dry of sweat to avoid dropping your phone.
Metalion looks really cool and is a blast to play. Get it.
