Review: Control Tower
Score:
77%
Is this it? Is this the one? Has the All About Symbian "here's what's new in the Ovi Store" gizmo finally found a Flight Control-esque game that rivals the line drawing Air Traffic Control game on iOS? Even with the smaller pixel size of our smartphones, there should be something out there? Could it be that Control Tower is the answer to my mobile gaming quest?
Version Reviewed: 1.00(1)
Buy Link | Download / Information Link
Before I even start though, congrats to Bojan Kalijc for releasing a free version along with the full version at £1. After all the misfiring clones, it's nice that I can check this one out before going on to decide to make the purchase (it also proves that the model of having a "Lite" version works, especially when there is a market with a lot of choice or has been blighted with poor quality).
So let's start with the obvious thought. This is the closest I've seen so far, for a Symbian Device, to a really good line drawing game. It follows the now traditional approach of guiding aircraft to runways and helicopters to landing pads, making sure that they don't crash into each other. Which is complicated by the fact that everything travels at a different speed, so you need to juggle the aircraft, sending some on holding patterns in the sky, while others need to fly straight in on a direct route, and helicopters just get in the way.
There's a certain chunky feel to the graphics, although I would have liked to have seen a bigger splash of colour on the wingtips to show which destination runway each plane is looking for. I find myself doing a little tap on each aircraft so that the guiding arrows light up on the required slice of tarmac. Other than that, it's just different enough to not be the planes from "the other game".
To be honest, that's the over-riding thought about Control Tower - it's like Columns to Tetris, with everything different, but at the same time the same. The helicopters travel just a little bit faster, the design of the four levels in the full version are close but not quite the same as the airports on offer by Firemint on iOS.
With four levels to choose from, each needing some different strategies, there's a lot of gameplay on offer (and an easy way to extend the game in the future!) I'll also flag up the addition of the Achievements screen, which offers you six different challenges to try and complete during a game (such as land seven aircraft within twelve seconds of each other, or keep fifteen aircraft in the sky without crashing). Once you're comfortable with the game, this extends the challenge for the advanced players.
Never forget one thing about Control Tower... this is definitely not a line drawing game.... because you leave a trail of dots, not a line, your honour [ahem - Ed].
I can accept many of those changes, but there are one or two moments where the engine that's driving the game has a few quirks that threaten to derail the whole experience. As you start to draw a line, the aircraft seem to have a life of their own, following a course that's not quite the new direction, and not quite the old one - there's a definite in-flight stutter once you give them a new path. This needs smoothing out.
I'm also not sure on the scale or speed of the helicopters - they seem a bit too fast and too big compared to the rest of the fleet on offer.
These aren't enough to stop me playing, but it does leave open an option for a much improved follow-up release (or another developer to come in with a smoother version). The quest continues, but this is a fine rest-stop for refreshment and relaxation. Somewhere out there is the perfect Symbian line drawing game... For now, Control Tower is recommended.
-- Ewan Spence, August 2011.
Reviewed by Ewan Spence at