Galaxy on Fire 2 Review

Galaxy on Fire 2 is a huge game, so big that you could really find yourself accomplishing absolutely nothing for hours at a time while still remaining completely entertained. It's one of those games that seems to be so big in size that it is almost overwhelming, but if you can stay focused the game really is something special.

Like the original Galaxy on Fire, the sequel is a free roaming space game that has you playing as the famous mercinary, Keith T. Maxwell. You start the game on a pirate hunt, but then get blasted across the galaxy many years in the future, only to find yourself on a mission to get your life back to normal. There is a consistent flow of missions in the game that will get your from the beginning of the game to the end, but the massive amount of side missions available that will not only distract you from your quest... they will possibly make it to where your quest never gets completed.

The side missions in Galaxy on Fire 2 really highlight what makes the game so special. Unlike the first game that had you fighting never-ending waves of space pirates, the sequel has added an incredibly deep commerce system that has you mining space rocks, transporting items from planet to planet, and buying and selling commodities for profit. Depending on your actions in the game, you can side yourself with the good guys, or slip into the shadows by selling drugs and killing the innocent. The path that you take to beat the game is really up to you.

One of my real problems with the original Galaxy on Fire was the control system. Unlike the original, Galaxy on Fire 2 allows for a slick accelerometer control that adds so much depth to the flying enjoyment. The game still defaults you to the virtual stick, but I definitely recommend switching right away. The only complaint I have with the system, and this is due more to the competition, is that Galaxy on Fire 2 lacks me added maneuver controls that made dogfighting in Star Battalion so wonderful (side swipe to dodge, vertical swipe to flip). Fortunately Galaxy on Fire 2 skips the indoor areas that plagued Star Battalion, but the controls definitely lag behind in space fighting.

The graphics in Galaxy on Fire 2 are absolutely gorgeous. Space fighting games don't have to be quite as advanced as other games due to the limited number of items that you can interact with at any given time, but the space textures and slick ships make the game one of the best of its kind. The sound on the other hand is hit or miss. On one hand, having all the dialogue voice acted is impressive, but some of the voices are pretty cheesy. Maybe pretty cheesy is an understatement... a friend that was at my house looked at me as I was playing and said, "that game sounds stupid." At times, I have to agree. The rest of the sounds are spot on, it's just the voice acting that needs some help.

With over 100 different space stations to explore and four different races to interact with, Galaxy on Fire 2 will take you much longer to complete than the 10 hours that FISHLABS promises. It's almost impossible to resist the urge to play all the side missions that you can while buying all the latest and greatest tech that the universe has to offer. Other than a few issues, there really isn't a more complete space game in the App Store. If you're a fan of the genre or just enjoy a good game every once in awhile, be sure to pick up Galaxy on Fire 2 today.