Galcon Labs: The sequel to Galcon and the next must have iPhone game
Phil Hassey, the creator of the incredibly popular and addictive multi-player game Galcon, for the iPhone and iPod Touch has surprised us with a new game today, Galcon Labs. The game is still really Galcon at it’s core, but there are four new game types, new music, and loads of polish on this baby. The original Galcon is arguably one of the best Multi-player games available on the iPhone.
An RTS game redefined for the iPhone
For those of you who have not tried the original Galcon, what are you waiting for? It’s basically a simplified real time strategy game for the iPhone. As I have mentioned before, simplified yes, but rich with strategy and technique, and that will most definitely be even more true with the newest incarnation.
A tutorial for newbies
Galcon Labs has a Tutorial in the original game play mode against the AI. This is a great way to learn how to play Galcon in under 45 seconds.
Four new game modes
Billiards – not much different than regular Galcon except the planets move! I don’t know how many of you have accidentally hit the wrong planet during an otherwise perfect attack on your enemy, but that scenario just became a lot more likely to happen more often. This should really shake things up.
Stealth – so far I think this is my favourite mode. In stealth your ships disappear almost instantly as you leave your planet. For the hardcore Galcon players out there, you know that you can change the course of a moving fleet. This will allow you to keep a whole fleet moving around without anyone else seeing it. Just as you think you have won you realize that you forgot the other player had a massive stealthed fleet around you.
Crash – this mode has potential, but I personally think it needs tweaking. In crash you can engage in battle with other ships while en route to your destination. At first I thought this would mean other fleets of ships would be touchable / attackable objects like planets. This is not the case though, instead you will end up taking out your enemies ships if they cross paths, but you cannot plot a path directly towards your enemies ships, only near by planets. With time maybe I’ll get used to it and use the planets near by to my advantage.
Assassin – another great mode where each player has a target. The goal is to destroy your target first. This changes the whole dynamic as being the most powerful or accumulating the most planets is no longer as relevant.
What else is new?
Of course Galcon wouldn’t be the awesomeness that it is without multi-player, and this is all real-time. If you liked the first one, then no doubt you will like the second, and best of all it’s only 99¢.
I don’t think Galcon will ever be known for it’s sound effects or music, but it does have new music in this version and I think it’s better than the last. I usually play this game in public places, so the music is off, but every now and then it’s nice to hear the arcade type sound effects.
There are also all new back drops and the game just looks great. Check out the sceenshots below for yourself and Phil’s YouTube video.
Get it in the iTunes store now, or visit the Galcon Labs website for more information.
Need more screenshots? Visit the Galcon Labs asset library.
