Endless War Review

Hop in a jet/spacecraft of some sort and start blasting at everything that moves. Short, sweet, and to the point. Of course it’s important for a game of this kind to try one or two things a little differently so that it stands out a little. In Endless War‘s case, that means lots and lots of upgrades that allow players to custom-tailor their experience. Personally I find that to be an awesome idea.

Right from the start players have to make a choice between three different ships to use. Then they have to pick a difficulty setting. Once their profile is set up they’re ready to head out and blow stuff up. Completing or even failing a level will net some coins which can then be brought back to the shop. Each of the three crafts can be upgraded twice for increased defense (and visual changes), and players can mess around with a bunch of different weapon types (four main and two secondary). Each of the weapons can be upgraded quite a bit as well, and a number of passive improvements can be purchased in the item store to boost maximum health and the like.

With its glut of upgrade options, Endless War can be fit to just about anyone’s playstyle. The Wave gun and tracking lasers are a personal favorite. Then again, an upgraded machine gun has a good spread and pairs well with missiles. There’s nowhere near as big a payoff when completing a level for the second-plus time, but the option to farm for coins is still there. In a way it almost lends an RPG flavor to all the shooting. Almost.

While there are tons of options to fiddle with in Endless War, it can also be surprisingly limiting. Only one main and one secondary weapon can be equipped at a time, and they can’t be switched out until a level is over. Power-ups are also oddly non-existent during gameplay, requiring players to purchase them in the shop beforehand. In an odd way I’m also a little off-put by the speed of the enemy projectiles, which are noticeably slow. I have no idea why this is or why it bugs me, but it does.

It might appear somewhat typical at first glance, but Endless War is actually a very user-driven game. The very idea of being able to customize not only the weapons, but the overall experience, makes it (potentially) one of the most accessible shooters on the App Store. It’s not quite as flashy as some or as brutal as others, but it’s more than willing to give players what they want. Assuming they have the coinage for it.