Review: Hypership Out of Control (iOS)

Hypership Out of Control is a simple game about a ship that loses its ability to break while its accelerator sticks concurrently. For those with a sense of déjà vu, Hypership has already been released on both WP7 and as an XBLIG. While the console version controls unquestionably better thanks to physical controls, the use of touch controls as opposed to tilt controls makes Hypership a rather well-controlling mobile game. The touching offers much more control than the title alludes. I'm sure you can find plenty of jokes in that last sentence.

I immediately fell in love with the retro visuals and the very Galaga-esque style—the font is either taken directly from Galaga or simply looks extremely similar. In terms of gameplay, Hypership mixes the common schmup formula with the even more common "get as far as you can" formula. It makes for an intense experience, that is, once the game gets going after an always slow beginning. The start of every game is rather sluggish and monotonous, and I'd constantly find myself waiting for excitement.

Hypership Out of Control is a solid pickup and play game that, while not being fun for hours, is plenty enjoyable in small bursts. The inclusion of leaderboards and achievements goes a long way in adding a desire to keep playing. The controls aren't as tight as I'd like, but are about as precise as possible on a touch-only device. Sure, there are some better games out there, but the number of worst far outweighs the better, making Hypership Out of Control a solid universal app (and best played on the iPad).

Hypership Out of Control (Universal - $0.99)