The GU iOS Game of the Week -- iBomber Defense Pacific

While the game clearly fits neatly into the Tower Defense Genre, there are elements within it of the Time Management style of play that is present in the sense that each level consists of multiple waves, and part of the strategy and skills that will develop with play eventually focuses upon the need to create defensive positions that emphasize efficiency, effective use of the available weapon types, and as rapid an elimination of the foe as the player can manage.

The results of those goals can be radically altered through a combination of upgrade choices and an understanding of basic military strategies and tactics like overlapping fields of fire, and the most effective grouping techniques to assists the heavier weapons by defending them with lighter ones, and etc. But ultimately game play in this title is a mixture of an economy of moves and strategy that works very well indeed, combining to make a satisfying and fun to play mobile war game!

After each mission is completed the player is presented with a scoring screen (more on that in a bit) and then with a set of screens that allow them to spend the Victory Points that they have obtained as well as to review their progress in developing their character through the Profile Screen -- the latter being a bit more interesting to gamers than you might expect since it serves as an alternate means for judging effectiveness and, as the gamer progresses through the ranks, a meaningful means for understanding how well they have improved.

The Profile Screen contains a column that displays the Perks that the player has unlocked, and which are now active for their play, as well as their current rank (which is displayed by both title and a colorful image of the appropriate rank patch), as well as a meter that shows their progress to the next rank increase. Finally on the right-hand-side of the screen is a selection of Stats that includes time played, wins and losses, medals, the stats for the number of weapons placed and how many they had to repair, and enemy units destroyed. A more specific version of the Stats is also available from that screen that includes detailed information on resources used, money spent, and other interesting factoids.

When the player taps individual items -- such as the active Perks -- they are presented with the opportunity to assign available Perks in one of the three available Perk Slots (bear in mind that until you actually assign a Perk it is not activated!). For example the first Perk that they will likely earn is called Ironback 1 -- which boosts the base turret armor for your gun nests -- and which can be improved as you gain rank.

The first two Perk Slots in the Perks column offer the selection from an identical group of Perks (if they are available they can be selected, otherwise they are X'd out with red X's). These include the aforementioned Ironback, as well as Greenback (start each level with more money), Profiteer (boosts the resale value of each turret), Bombardier (begin each level with a bomb), Eagle Eye (faster aiming), and Entrenched (boosts each turrets; dig-in bonus).

The third slot in the Perks column includes the Perks Fast Fingers (faster reload time), Guard Dog (increases the base's armor), Raging Bull (equips base with guns), Special Delivery (increases the value of supply crates), Phantom Strike (increases turret strike range), and Guardian Angel (allows the player to use the rewind move more often).

Each Perk is unlocked by reaching a specific rank, or by completing a target number of specific actions, and is improved by reaching yet higher ranks, so the Perks system is something that levels with the player, as they succeed in playing the game.

The Victory Points that are earned by completing each mission successfully and completing the secondary and bonus objectives allows the player to upgrade their weapons -- which includes the Machine Gun, Cannon, Bomb, Flamer, Comms, Rocket, and Anti-Air (in that order), with each weapon having three levels of upgrade plus a fourth, which is called "Specialize" and adds to the capabilities and damage for that weapon.

Each stage of upgrading has predictable requirements for each weapon -- for example the Machine Gun starts out at Level 2, and costs 20 Victory Points to upgrade to Level 3, and an additional 40 Victory Points to Specialize, while the Canon starts at Level 1, and costs 10 Victory points for the first upgrade to Level 2, 20 Victory Points for Level 3, and 40 Victory Points to Specialize. As you progress through the levels the other weapons are unlocked and can then be upgraded.

All of this combines to define the play style and the challenges for the game, which when you factor in the built-in appeal from nostalgia makes iBomber Defense Pacific an addictive and fun game whether you play it in the bite-sized chunks for which it was designed, or in larger and longer sessions, which it easily supports.

The game is structured with three difficulty levels -- Rookie, Soldier, and Veteran -- which naturally translate to Easy, Medium, and Hard, with the primary differences between the difficulties being a combination of accuracy, damage dealt and taken, and the mixed results of the RNG with respect to moves and how their effectiveness is interpreted by the game engine. Regardless of the difficulty that you select, game play in this tasty mobile title is well-structured, with clear objectives that take you through the collection of theaters of operation that are very well known to any student of World War II history -- or to any fan of the TV show Baa Baa Black Sheep for that matter.

The first mission in the game is called '1. Kokoda Track' and is played as part of the tutorial for the game, charging the player with protecting Milne Bay and preventing Japanese forces from establishing a foothold base in Eastern New Guinea. The secondary objective is to protect the small supply warehouse in the south-western corner of the area near the bridgehead.