Perhaps because this World War I-themed vertical scrolling shmup, the latest by indie developers Wide Pixel Games, is inspired by a number of Toaplan's shmups from the late 80s and early 90s. To name just a few, this is a homage to games like TWIN Hawk, TIGER Heli and Flying SHARK. I discussed a number of these games in my A Brief History of World War II shoot 'em ups article a few years ago and they form an important part of the history of arcade gaming.
However, Wide Pixel's game goes beyond being a mere homage, if anything, this is a clone, almost a bare-faced rip off (in much the same way Locomalito's brilliant Hydorah ripped off Gradius). But do not let that stop you checking this one out, because unlike the dozens of Flappy Bird clones that flooded the iOS and Android markets after the original was yanked, Twin Tiger Shark is a quality product from top to bottom.
While I enjoyed the Twin Hawk/Cobra and Tiger Heli games, I was never a massive fan of the Shark games. They were okay, but they were not the best Toaplan had to offer, nor did they live up to their nearest rivals, Capcom's 194x series. Thankfully, while Twin Tiger Shark looks like Flying Shark, it plays more like Toaplan's other shmups. It features all the key ingredients: three weapon modes, bombs, a squadron of helpers (a la Twin Hawk), a play field that scrolls partially left and right, even medals (in the form of stars) to collect after destroying enemies. The enemies themselves are generic World War-themed bi-planes and tanks, but what stands out are the game's great enemy patterns and tight controls. Despite being hard, it rarely feels unfair, because of those last two ingredients. Mistakes are yours, not because the game is cheap and that only encourages you to keep trying.
All told there are 6 stages, but in true hardcore style, it's very difficult (even in the so called "Easy" mode) and there are no continues, so you have to get good if you want to finish the game. This is something I have not done yet, but that's often the way with these games and its not going to stop them being fun. There is some innovation here too. When you upload a high score it displays a QR code for you to scan with your phone or tablet, which will take you to the web page for the world wide leader boards. It's a nice way of overcoming the lack of built-in leader boards for XBLIG games.
So should you bother with Twin Tiger Shark? Absolutely and not just because it's only around 69p. I have not done a game review since the Xbox 360 port of Akai Katana, almost 2 years ago, but I had to let people know this one is out there waiting to be played. Anybody who knows their stuff will see the connection here (least of all the setting), so it says something that I feel compelled to write about this blatant copy cat. I'll be honest, I actually think this could be a better game than many of Toaplan's shmups from the 80s and 90s. It looks a lot older and it has an old school mentality but there is a quality here, a smoothness and precision, that only modern games offer. It is as tight and rewarding as some of the best shoot 'em ups around and is probably the best indie shmup I've played since Final Form's superb Jamestown. The only serious criticism I have is the lack of co-op play, everything else is great.
Oh, and if you're one of those crazy people who bought an Ouya, you can also get it on that.
Plays like
- Twin Hawk
- Tiger Heli
- Flying Shark
- Anything else by Toaplan
Highs
- Tight controls let you weave through the well structured enemy patterns with skill -- if you have it
- Authentic 8-bit arcade experience. The music is particularly brilliant.
- Arguably a better playing game than some of the games that inspired it
- Innovative use of QR codes for high scores
- Costs less than a Mars Bar.
Lows
- Not for the faint-hearted
- Despite the name, this is not a two player game.
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