Rocking Pilot Review – PC

Rocking Pilot is yet another bullet-hell shooter now available on PC that will test your twin-stick reflexes to the max as you attempt to conquer all 42 missions spread across four worlds in the ultimate reality TV show.   Inspired by those classic arcade shooters, Rocking Pilot has you unleashing your own arsenal of weaponry while strategically using your very own rotor blades to slice and dice your way through enemy hordes or deflect enemy bullets right back at them.

The genius of the design lies in the mastery of balancing weapons and rotors for maximum effect. To make things more challenging the game will invoke certain challenges, so in one level only rotor kills count toward level completion or maybe you are restricted to rockets only. You definitely need to pay attention to the rules of each mission for those kills to actually register on the scoreboard.

Rocking Pilot is an arcade game by design with action-packed levels designed for short bursts of gameplay. The missions are laid out in linear fashion, requiring you to complete one in order to unlock the next. With 76 trophies and over 100 other collectibles in the game, you won’t be running out of reasons to play anytime soon. And you always have the online score challenges and leaderboards to keep you coming back.

The presentation is fantastic with a retro-cartoon design complete with colorful gameplay graphics and large character portraits that pop up for story and mission narratives. The mission-select panels provide a visual reference for what you’ll experience in that mission as well as visual tallies of medals earned and any still remaining.  All of the insane gameplay is complemented with a rocking soundtrack and explosive sound effects.

My only real complaint with Rocking Pilot is the massive HUD that takes up nearly half the screen space. Yes, the actual game is played inside this “tiny” square window that is flanked by oversized information bars. It reminded me of those 4:3 games that get updated to 16:9 and they fill in the missing space with art. At least there is useful information in these sidebars, but the game would have been so much better if it has used more of the screen…or all of it. As it is, Rocking Pilot can feel a bit claustrophobic at times.

I spent most of the 80’s in the arcades playing games exactly like Rocking Pilot, so for me, this twin-stick shooter was a total blast and a total trip down memory lane, and for only $6, if you play this more than 24 times you just got your money’s worth. If you love shooters and you’ve got $6 burning a hole in your Steam Wallet, then definitely check this out.

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Author: Mark Smith
I've been an avid gamer since I stumbled upon ZORK running in my local Radio Shack in 1980. Ten years later I was working for Sierra Online. Since then I've owned nearly every game system and most of the games to go with them. Not sure if 40+ years of gaming qualifies me to write reviews, but I do it anyway.

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