Tunnel Shoot is a new shooter from an accidentally huge name – Backflip Studios. This means that it has the backing to make a great game.

Tunnel Shoot (FREE, Today Only)

I think they may have done it again. This game is very retro, and very well done. The game is made for iPhone AND iPad, and it works as well as possible. Read on for my full review of this new game.

Presentation

Tunnel Shoot is, obviously, a shooter. And that is always a promising start in my book. But, this is very different than many traditional shooters that you have played before. Rather than playing in one dimension, or even pseudo-3D, you spin around a tunnel, clearing a path to advance further into the bowels of this field.

This makes for a great gameplay, and the graphics are more than ideal for this game. They are retro, and are the only graphics that make any sense for this game. This is perfect, even the controls are the only way I could envision playing this game.

Controls

The controls here are laid out in the best way possible – right in front of you prior to beginning every game. You can fire with either hand, in the bottom corners. Tap, and it shoots.

But, beware – if you keep shooting, you lose energy, and you will only be able to shoot with a single bullet until it recharges, so shoot sparingly. This is very basic, but with the layout of the game, you need no additional controls to harness the extent of the functions at play.

Gameplay

The gameplay is spot on to what it needs to be to make a good game. It is very simple, yet strangely deep and fun. It is a casual game at heart though. You don’t have a level system, every objective is high score based, and boasted further by Plus+ achievements. You spin around this tunnel, and shoot your enemies. Makes for an apt title, doesn’t it? But, the gameplay really is that simple.

Shoot your enemies, and collect the boosts that litter the field. Hit an enemy, and lose a life. You have the lives per game, which is a fair amount. It gets increasingly difficult as you progress through the tunnel. That makes the gameplay consuming, yet casual. Go in a virtual tunnel, and shoot things.

Suggestions

* Checkpoints please! Even in a different gameplay mode, much like the recently added Insanity.
* Fast app switching would be nice, just for the literal, pick up and play feel.
* Exact position movements controls option. It seems a bit strange, but in practice – even as an option, obviously – it could make for a truly unique experience. Set it on a table, and pull off previously impossible moves. I like the concept anyway.
* P2P play mode. Like a race mode, or something similar. Just allow some form of play with friends, AND ACROSS device types. Allow a mixture of iPads, iPhone, and iPods, with dynamic transfer medium changes – from Bluetooth, to WiFi, to local network for optimum play speed as needed.

Conclusion

Tunnel Shoot is such an apt title for this game, because that is exactly what you do for this game. And that means that it is just a great, casual game. It is no Doodle Jump, but no game is at this point. But that doesn’t mean I don’t recommend it – I do, for almost everyone.