SO GOOD, aside from…
Pixel Craft 2 is legitimately such fun. It’s got beautiful pixel art, smooth controls, and engaging gameplay. It takes great mechanics from previous shmups (like challenges & upgrades), but maintains originality and provides its own nuances (not to mention, it has surprisingly good dialogue & characters). It even does a good job of not closing out if I lock my phone screen or use another app for a bit in the middle of a run, and isn’t battery hungry. Its ad integrations are unobtrusive and entirely optional. It’s so refreshing to see a game so clearly developed with a love for the (pixel) craft (2) and I can’t wait to see what updates are in store. The ONLY complaints I have, are: I wish I could listen to my own music rather than having whatever I’m playing cut out the moment I open/return to the app. I wish it was more descriptive of certain mechanics. It’s hard to figure out that the Super Card buffs are time limited. I’m not sure what steps I need to take to unlock side ships. There isn’t even a given name for the side ships, so I end up just having to refer to them as side ships! I feel like a lot of this may have been explained in the tutorial dialogues, but that was so long ago and is inaccessible now. Maybe a glossary could help? Either way, I’m still definitely going to chip away at these challenges and keep saving up for shiny new ships & upgrades. Overall, I’d give this game a 9/10, rounded up to 5 stars!