War of Eclipse is a relatively straightforward, timing-based strategy game from Game Stew—the developers of the retro-style slot machine/RPG, Tower of Fortune. Anyone that is familiar with Tower of Fortune will be able to tell immediately that War of Eclipse was made by the same people. Comparing the games side-by-side, it is clear that the creators have a very specific approach to designing games on iOS, which involves wrapping simple, one-touch game mechanics around a highly detailed 16-bit aesthetic reminiscent of the Super Nintendo. Similar design concepts and visuals aside, War of Eclipse easily stands on its own as a satisfying and challenging experience on your iPhone.
The setup for War of Eclipse is simple: A war between aliens and humans has resulted in a “black explosion” bringing disaster and torment to a futuristic world comprised of massive flying battleships. The player takes the role of an experienced battleship captain that has been rescued to command a ship to victory over the aliens currently lording over the skies of Earth. The game begins by asking players to choose a ship to get started and briefly introduces players to the core battle mechanics, equipment system, and upgrade opportunities.
From here, it is up to the player to live out their career as a battleship captain, fighting aliens to earn enough money and equipment to build a ship strong enough to defeat the mysterious mother core. To get to the mother core, players must launch their ship into random battles with alien foes which—when defeated—will reward you with money, equipment, and sometimes even codes (a collectible that is a prerequisite to fighting mother core).
In these battles, you will be taking turns in an exchange of attacks between your ship and whatever alien threat you may be facing; however, the turns are not a simple back-and-forth affair. Both the ships and the aliens have a charging meter that has to fill before being allowed to aim and, subsequently, fire. These meters fill at different rates depending on the ship/alien type as well as any upgrades or modifications you have made to your ship. Once charged, a moving indicator slides back and forth across the bottom of the screen and players must tap to stop the indicator in shaded hit zones to deal damage to enemies. Larger, lighter hit zones indicate a normal hit, while smaller, darker zones will reward players with a more damaging critical hit.
It is these core mechanics that make up the bulk of War of Eclipse, but there are many added trappings to make the experience feel much more fully-featured. The decision between trying to score a regular or critical hit goes much further beyond simply weighing the risk against reward. Players are rewarded with a damage boost for landing consecutive hits, and landing more hits allows your ship to charge up a super attack, allowing players to deal massive amounts of damage that far surpass the critical hit. As if that is not enough to keep track of, while players are deciding whether they should work on being consistent to score super attacks or get enough quick critical hits off, there are even more elements that players must keep track of to ensure victory like ship maintenance, ammunition, equipment, attack types, and even atmospheric conditions.
With all of these things in play, War of Eclipse can be quite difficult, and players can find themselves earning negative money relatively quickly. Fortunately, the game seems to be aware of its difficulty and provides players with relatively painless ways to dig themselves out of a tough situation. Ship repairs and reloading ammunition, for example, can always be purchased even if you are operating on negative funds. Additionally, the game has a survival mode in which players can battle an endless wave of enemies to win some extra cash without having to worry about upkeep costs. Impatient players that have some spare change can also just buy in-game currency using real money as well.
All in all, War of Eclipse is a great package. On the surface, it appears to be very simplistic, but it ends up striking a near perfect balance between casual distraction and hardcore game. War of Eclipse is available for download on the iPhone for $1.99, but has recently gone on sale and even been offered for free. If you are quick enough, make sure you snatch it up without having to pay full price, but don't worry if you don't; you will still be getting your money’s worth.