Six O'Clock High Review

There's a ton of potential to Six O'Clock High. A little too much of it might be overlooked, sticking to the basics, but there's a charm to the minimalist approach that makes the $0.99 asking price quite reasonable.

Involving a series of World War I planes, the game is typically fast-paced and arcade style in nature. All that's required of the player is to defeat waves of enemies in dogfights. There's no need to learn anything other than how to move around the screen, as shooting is done automatically. It's very simple but surprisingly fun to play. Twisting and turning in the sky, the controls aren't quite as pinpoint accurate as one would like but it makes sense as time goes on. Plus, it's possible to perform an Immelmann turn which is always fun.

The plane only has a finite amount of armor so it's imperative that players avoid enemy fire wherever possible, making loop-the-loops often a very wise idea. There's an upgrade system tied into things, with points offered after each wave, but frustratingly these don't carry on into future sessions. Instead, once the player is defeated it's back to the beginning and most basic plane. It would have been all the more enjoyable if upgrades rolled over, giving players a reason to repeatedly play and see their plane grow in strength.

There are other missed opportunities too, such as the lack of a level-based structure or evolution to what the game offers at the start. Fortunately, achievements go some way to counteracting such issues by offering some impressively tricky things to aim for.

Six O'Clock High is still quite good fun, and something worth dive-bombing into every now and then. A permanent upgrade system would have been the biggest temptation for returning for more, but as it stands, there are certainly worse ways of spending $0.99.