It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s my new favorite app – Sky Defenders. I don’t know if it’s just my love for superheroes, gaming or that Sky Defenders is just plain jammed packed with all kinds of goodness but I do know I haven’t been able to put this app down since I’ve starting reviewing it.
 
Here’s the premise of Sky Defenders, you’re a super hero defending earth from mechanical bots trying to do evil. Sounds like your typical superhero game, right? Well Superplay Games is the new man of steel because they put together a rock solid title. The first thing that grabbed me was the slick graphics. From the menus to the action on screen, everything looks beautiful. Bright colored suits, action bubbles and super attacks translate into a living modern day comic.
 
The game works with motion sensor tilt controls for your iOS device which enables you to soar around the screen above the city weaving and bobbing through mindless bots trying to ruin anything they can get their hands on. Through the level you’ll find multiple power ups – basically your powers – that will help you in you quest to rid the skies of evil. Fly into a power up and activate special freeze attacks, super shields and lightning strikes that will send your foes back where they came from. The game runs on a time limit so you have to eliminate as many evil bots as possible before time runs out.
 
What makes this game so difficult to put down – well let’s face it, there’s plenty that make this app great – but the ability to compound more time becomes super addictive. As you collect your super power ups and destroy foes, your super meter begins to fill on the bottom of the screen. Fill the meter completely and look out, it’s cobbering time. You can now launch your “super” power which short circuits all bots on screen allowing you to fly into them and smash them to bits. It’s fast, it’s slick and it’s good-looking. Creativity and strategy is the key to surviving, and is also the key element that will continue to bring you back for more so be sure to be creative and use precise timing when using your powers.

 
During your game you’ll earn credits that you’re able to use before the start of each round. Credits are also available for cash purchases through the store if you feel the need to enhance your abilities but for those more conservative you can earn them through stellar gameplay. Right before the round starts you are given the option to use your credits for additional character abilities. You have the option to purchase up to three abilities, given that you have enough credits, helping your chances of destroying even more bots than your last attempt. You may decide to increase your flying speed, earn “supers” more quickly or perhaps even have a fellow superhero join the battle covering your back during some difficult battles. There is a good amount of abilities available to choose from so use your powers wisely. With great power comes great responsibility.
 
Overall this is a fun, smart and addictive game that begs for you to pick it up whenever you have a free moment to bash some baddies. However, as most superheroes have their weaknesses, Sky Defenders had a couple flaws which bothered me – minor but I feel that they should be mentioned. First off, the tilt movement is setup to hold your device flat parallel to the floor and the more you tilt, the faster your hero flies. The problem I had with this is that when I really need to get out of a tight spot, I had to tilt a little too much that I would lose sight of the screen and occasionally run into a random bot. You can set your device in the options menu to two other holding options such as “regular” (angled toward you) or “upside down” (reversed controls). The other two modes felt uncomfortable to me while “flat” felt the best – a minor complaint that no way takes away from the overall fun of the game.

 
One other aspect that I wish was added to the game was different levels and cities. Every game is played over the same city and even though you really don’t pay much attention to the ground level because of the action on screen it would have been nice to have something different to mix up the game play. Maybe different cities or towns? Perhaps a battle over water? Again, minor but just something on my wish list.
 
Whether it was from a spider bite, gamma rays or lab experiment gone wrong, the megaminds at Superplay Games have created one “super” app. I may have used just as many clichés in this review as a superhero comic but one thing is for certain, Sky Defenders is one of the best games I’ve played in a long while.

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