G. I. Joe: Strike is a Free-To-Play Mobile Game (known as a Freemium Game) developed by Hasbro-owned Backflip Studios. The game was first revealed at the JoeCon 2015 followed by the Soft Launch on the Android Platform a month later. The game was then released to the public on the Android and iOS platforms last week with major improvements to the performance and several new features. We’ve reviewed the game when it was in the Beta Stage (which was the first review for the game, on the Internet), and now it’s time for the final review. Check it out, after the jump.
Have you been playing? Leave a thought on the thread associated with this Review.
Background
Mobile Game Development Company Backflip Studios became famous with their simple yet addictive Paper Toss game back in 2009. Over the years they have produced small mobile games for the Andorid and iOS markets. In 2013, the studio was acquired by Hasbro. Since then, the studio developed several small mobile games based on multiple Hasbro properties. With the absence of G. I. Joe Battleground, Backflip Studios quickly stepped forward to fill the void left by the said game as a G. I. Joe property based official mobile app. And thus, G. I. Joe: Strike was born.
Gameplay
The gameplay style of G. I. Joe: Strike is reminiscent of One Finger Death Punch mobile and PC game but giving the player the ability to strike by using the entire mobile screen instead of using designated buttons.
The player controls Snake Eyes and must reach a target depending on the stage. It can be defeating a certain number of Arashikage Ninjas, reaching a certain score or just reaching a destination. The primary controls are Tap and Hold. Enemies will come from both sides (left and right) and if an enemy enters any of the two white lines on either side, a Tap on the screen on the corresponding side will initiate an attack. If an enemy is outside the lines, the attack will be considered as a miss. If the player taps on the wrong side of the screen, it will also be considered as a miss even if the enemy is within the white lines. Each enemy will have a specific number of attacks the player must do in order to defeat them. Holding the screen will result in Snake Eyes running towards that direction.
The game has three areas: Jungle, Ship and Temple. Each area will have several levels. Each level will have several stages. Player must win each stage to unlock the next. By completing all the stages in one level will unlock the other level. By completing all levels will unlock the next stage (you get the general idea).
Here’s a part where a significant change has been made. Earlier during the beta, to complete a stage the player was given 3 lives and 3 continues. One hit will remove one life. Three hits will prompt a continue screen. But with the public release, the three lives has been replaced by a Health Meter which can take more abuse than three hits. The meter will run empty with 9 hits; giving player more chances to win the stage. Once all 3 continues are over, the stage will be considered as lost. The player must complete the assigned target before all 3 continues are exhausted. Until the player reach the Experience Level 5, the continues are free. But after that, the continues must be purchased by the In-Game Currency.
The game is currently Single Player only with no Multiplayer Support. The only Playable Character is Snake Eyes with several NPC characters including Enemies, Bosses and Storm Shadow. The game lacks any Cloud Save feature and does not contain any Achievements as of yet.
The player has the option to upgrade Snake Eyes with more than 100 types (as advertised) of upgrade cards titled as Ability Cards. There are two types of Ability Cards: Skills and Airdrops. Skill Cards are used to enhance Snake Eyes abilities.
The player can also grab some help in the form of Airdrops. Items selected beforehand (prior to the start of the level) will assist the players for a brief period of time. Items the player may require will depend on the nature of the situation. Some items will be more useful than others depending on the level. Some items can be used once per stage and can be used again on the other. But there are items which are One-time Use only and can only be used once on a selected stage and cannot be used again and will have to be re-purchased.
Performance
The developers have done their duties to iron out the performance issues that plagued the game during the Beta Stage. The game now runs smoothly with better touch response. The lag that was previously there is gone; giving a smoother gameplay as predicted earlier on the old review.
Graphics and Sound
The graphics are 2.5D. The characters, objects and the background are 3D but the playing plane is presented in 2D. This is very much like the recent Mortal Kombat games. For some reason the graphics reminded us of the canceled cartoon series G. I. Joe: Renegades. The game is colorful and eye-catching much like other games they develop. The levels are based on various locations from the G. I. Joe Franchise. So, there’s something for all of us.
Sound department can certainly improve on G. I. Joe: Strike since the mobile games such as Angry Birds: Transformers, Monument Valley and Mortal Kombat X all have very memorable soundtracks. It proves that mobile games have evolved into very artistic mediums where music will provide a great value addition.
Micro-transactions
The heart of all Freemium games is the Micro-transaction Scheme. This game is no different. Multiple Power-ups known as Ability Cards (mentioned above) can be purchased through the store with various In-Game Currencies. Purchases range from $1.99 all the way upto $99.99.
There are several types of In-Game Currencies:
- Energy: This item dictates how many times the player can play the game until it is recharged. One Energy = One Try. A one-time purchase will give the player unlimited tries to play.
Gold: Is used to purchase certain items and to level up the character. Can be purchased with real money or obtained by completing stages. - Medals: Used to purchase Ability Cards. Can be purchased with real money or obtained [very rarely] by completing stages.
- XP: Used to level up characters. Cannot be purchased with real currency but must be obtained by completing stages.
- Ability Cards: Gives the players Skill and Airdrop Items. Can be purchased with Gold and Medals. Some cards can only be used once. There are Epic, Rare, Uncommon, Common and Burner Cards. Epic Cards will cost you approximately $12 each. Rare Cards will cost you approximately $5 each. Uncommon Cards will cost you approximately $2 each. Common Cards are free each day you log onto the game. And finally the Burner Cards which can only be used once will cost you approximately $2 for 8 cards.
Final Verdict
G. I. Joe: Strike mobile game is a good game to kill the time. It just started. There’s certainly a lot of room for more updates. G. I. Joe fans will be glad if other martial art based characters from the franchise is included… and there is a lot of them too. Overall, it’s not a bad game. It is enjoyable. But there is a lack of incentives to keep on playing for a long time. Perhaps an inclusion of a card/character collecting aspect will take the game a long way. The release of this game proves that the G. I. Joe franchise is not dead yet and mobile games of many genres can easily be implemented as Joe games. With the rise of Mobile Games over the Console and PC games due to the immense popularity of Smart Phones, there is a future for more G. I. Joe games on the platform. Yo Joe!
SilverOptimus says
News Post: G. I. Joe: Strike Mobile Game Is Officially Launched On Android And iOS
RPD says
Are G.I. Joe fans concentrated on phones, or something?
SilverOptimus says
RPD says
STORMSHADOW_210 says
You know, even TMNT hasnt had a "real" triple a game since the snes days, but they still have given fans 3 fun games via digital download and one retail. Re-shelled, out of the shadows and danger of the ooze. I just wish GI Joe would throw us a bone on console gaming.
RPD says
ljacone says
I just converted my WebOS device to Android last week. Good timing!
Aid to Scarlett says
I'll download it once you can play as Scarlett.
DianaD says
What, just one Joe?
Steevy Maximus says
My Review (upon reaching level 5 and completing some 20 missions on my iPad Mini Retina):
(Note: I did not play the game in its beta stage, so I can't make any comparisons to what elements may or may not have been improved or fixed)
Anyone ever play One Finger Death Punch on the PC? GI Joe Strike is functionality a "mobilized" conversion of that game and its gameplay elements wrapped in a GI Joe skin and saddled with various monetization pressures.
The player taps one side of the screen or the other to attack opponents that enter into his "attack sphere", hitting a side without an enemy will create a miss and open SE to attack from the other side. Occasionally you will get air drops which will either drop an unique weapon (equipped at the start of a mission) or additional in game currency (either the coins or the medals). At some points, you might need to hold a side of the screen to run to a spot (either to reach a goal, avoid missile strikes, or get to airdrops). Each mission has an objective, though a majority boil down to "kill everybody". As I've progressed, there have been new elements and mission types added such as survival (last X amount of time) and rendezvous (get to a specific point in the stage) as well as a boss stage, culminating in a battle with Storm Shadow.
My biggest frustration thus far is the SLOW start to the game. The pacing with some early levels is horrible in that I was often just standing around waiting for guys to show up, failing to keep me engaged. With that, while the fundamental design is sound (evidenced by OFDP), Strike fails to capture the sort of instant gratification, with much of the combat lacking the "oomph" of the aforementioned game. Hits sound weak, animation is a bit "chunky", and it doesn't FEEL like I'm this uber bad ass ninja commando, and the weak "death screams" and animations certainly don't help with that. At least by stage 8 of Jungle or 5 of Flagg, the pace picked up enough to be reasonably interesting.
Another strike (heh) is the same fundamental flaw in most touch games- multiple gestures means there is a greater chance of error. More than a few times I wanted to "run" (by which I means a brisk walk) only to attack to an open space, knocking down my combo run and opening me up to attack.
The enemies are a bit too stock for my tastes, with a basic ninja, a hat ninja, and Storm Shadow being the only enemy models that I've encountered. The Hat Ninja is especially frustrating as his model never changes, but his attack patterns DO, and it would have been nice to see some variations, even if it was just some color change ups, much less seeing other enemy types.
I also wouldn't be adverse to seeing more story elements, and perhaps even work in some cameos from other GI Joe characters.
Graphics are clean, if not terribly ambitious. The character models look clean and animate nicely (despite being "slow" to me), the backgrounds are a bit flat, but are just interesting enough but don't take away from the core action. The Jungle stages have some flair to their design, but the Flagg levels are (thus far) all just flat plane engagements on the deck. While fighting ninjas on the deck of the Flagg is cool and all, it does get tiring after the half dozenth time I've seen it.
Sounds are...there. Nothing overtly BAD, but nothing terribly memorable either (then again, I've probably been spoiled by Angry Birds TF's AMAZING soundtrack). While I stand by my earlier statements on lack of "oomph", the sounds themselves aren't bad, albeit a bit too cartoon sounding for a game of this style (which does provide some humor, intentional or not.
Upon the completion of the level, you get various rewards, mostly additions to the various "currencies" the game uses:
XP- Thus far the only real reason I see is as a progress tracker and to place an artificial "barrier" for you.
Coins- The core in game currency, is used for upgrading cards and purchasing Burner cards (one use/stage cards).
Medals- The Premium currency, these are mostly used in the shop for the higher tier cards and various permanant increases (like more card slots)
Each level uses an "Energy" to activate and you can continue in a level if you die...at the cost of 10 medals. Energy recharges at a rate of one per some 15 minutes or so, however the store offers a remedy for that limitation.
The store offers several purchase options, cards (which, as far as I know, are things like air drop items and skills), additional medals OR coins, and an Unlimited Energy option for $10. From my experience with other F2P games, the currency conversions aren't horrible (certainly compared to stuff like SimCity BuildIt), but the game is still designed as a money sink, though not as aggressively so as the various card-based game like Battleground was.
On its existing merits, I think it is a decent enough little action mobile action game, it has solid graphics, sounds are okay, and on my device (an iPad Mini 2 Retina) the game was quite technically solid. The game loaded quickly, I didn't see any significant lag, and didn't have any crashes.
BUT, I think this game needs a good bit of improvement, especially compared to competing titles like Angry Birds Transformers. The most egregious is the lack of any sort of online elements or achievements. The game is a score based system MADE for some sort of leaderboard, and achievements (especially in the ABTF vein) would give a good bit of incentive to keep playing and improve. I'm especially disturbed by the lack of Apple GameCenter support, a valuable tool when a game doesn't have any sort of cloud saving.
My biggest concern at this stage is that the game will see a major update to add these missing elements, but when Rovio did so with ABTF, there were significant issues with non-iOS players in trying to keep their progress (GameCenter saved progress, so I didn't lose anything in the update). And when Hasbro updated the Robots in Disguise game, any prior progress was lost. I would be HIGHLY hesitant to spend any money on this title at this stage for that reason.
All that said, I think there is a good foundation here to build on, and could be a solid game bearing the GI Joe name. I would just maybe wait a few months and see if some updates might come before dropping any money...
(With some gameplay and design refinements, and the above mentioned online and achievement elements, I would NOT be adversed to dropping the $10 for unlimited energy)
I do think it interesting that, for a brand people like to think Hasbro hates, we've got a brand new mobile title that is actually fairly decent featuring new designs for Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow. I like to think this is a good show of support while a new toy initiative is in the works, but we'll see.
Keep reading: G. I. Joe: Strike Mobile Game Is Officially Launched On Android And iOS - Page 2
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