If you are looking for a fun game to give your day a lift, check out the Windows Phone 8 game Skyman. It isn’t a very complicated game but entertaining nonetheless.
You play the role of a stuntman to see how far he can be rocketed through the sky. Skyman has two gaming modes, decent graphics, and crash landings that would make Evel Knievel proud. Overall, Skyman is a fun title to have in your Windows Phone gaming library when you are in the mood for something different.
Main Menu
Skyman’s main menu is loaded with options to view your gaming leaderboard, view the help section and choose which gaming mode you would like to pursue.
The two gaming modes include a Career Mode and a Challenge Mode. Career Mode has you performing your rocket launches over a thirty-day period where you earn cash based on the distances you jump.
You can use the cash to upgrade your equipment and your final score is based on the amount of money you earn in the thirty-day period. You just need to be careful with your crashes. If your injuries are serious enough, you’ll miss a few days at work (which means no income for those days).
The Challenge Mode is a series of performance challenges such as flying a set distance or maintaining a certain altitude for a set distance.
Both game modes are enjoyable and have their own set of challenges. I wouldn’t mind seeing the Career Mode extend beyond thirty-days. It just felt like as if there wasn’t enough time to enjoy all the gear upgrades you bought.
Game Play
While the two gaming modes have similar game play, there are differences. You start each mode off positioned on the rocket launcher. You can adjust the launcher’s angle by tapping/sliding it up or down.
At the bottom of the screen, you have a power meter, health meter (with the Career Mode), launch tile and equipment tiles (such as your parachute). To launch your stuntman, tap the launch button once the power meter fluctuates to the desired level.
Your stuntman will be launched into the air and eventually you will need to deploy the parachute so he can land safely. Otherwise, he will crash into the ground, tossing about like a rag doll. With the Challenge Mode, if you crash you fail the challenge. With the Career Mode, if you crash it could result in the loss of income that will affect your final score.
In between launch and landing, the options vary a little with the two gaming modes. With the Career Mode, you have equipment you can purchase with your income that will prolong the time airborne. You can buy gliders, jet packs, parachute upgrades, and power boosts for the launcher. As you collect the equipment, additional tiles will appear on the gaming screen to activate their use.
With the Challenge Mode, your stuntman is already fitted with a rocket pack. An altimeter will appear to the right of the screen that rotates the angle of flight the rocket pack will take and an activation tiles sits at the bottom of the screen. Depending on the challenge, you will need to tap the activation tile when the altimeter is highlighting the right angle of flight.
For example, to travel further you’ll want the altimeter pointing up or to maintain a certain altitude it should be pointed at a more level position. Once you have completed the challenge, you’ll let your stuntman descend and eventually deploy his parachute for a safe landing.
Overall Impression
Skyman is a fun game for Windows Phone 8. Graphics are nicely drawn-up and game play challenging enough to keep things from growing stale.
I would not mind seeing the career mode extended and the only nit with game performance is that there is a short delay between tapping an equipment tile and seeing the result. For example, when you tap the parachute tile, it takes a second to see it deploy. If you wait too long, that delay can be the difference between a safe landing and seeing your stuntman kiss the pavement.
While this delay creates a bit of a timing challenge to the game and by no means a deal breaker, it can be a little frustrating.
Skyman is a free game that is available for Windows Phone 8 (including low-memory devices) and well worth a try. You can find Skyman here in the Windows Phone Store.
