Crust Review – Retro Game for iPhone / iPad that Promises Much But Delivers Little

Crust iPhone

Crust is a 2D cave shooter which for me at least is reminiscent of similar games that I used to play some 25 to 30 years ago. This is not necessarily a bad thing however, in fact there and many retro games that are as, if not more, popular as they were when they were originally launched.

In Crust for iPhone and iPad you take charge of a spaceship which has to negotiate the tight and dangerous confines of the caverns to clear them and move through the 9 levels. Only 9 levels is a little disappointing especially for newer gamers that may not fully appreciate the retro styling and game-play. However the 2 multi-player modes certainly extends the reach of the game and adds additional value, more on that later.

The single player mode certainly gets you prepared for the challenges that you will find as it includes a basic tutorial of how to control the ship, fire your selectable weapons and complete the required tasks.

The controls take a little getting used to, a virtual joystick on the left of the screen controls both the direction and speed of your craft while multiple buttons done the left side of the screen enable you to access your weapons. This can be a little tricky, esp. on the iPad in the heat of battle as you will have to move your fingers up and down the full height of the screen which can result in failing to engage the enemy for a vital split second that can render you dead!

You have a choice of ships on each level, each with their own positive and negative aspects including the number of weapons, speed of cooldown and shields and this choice can have a significant effect on the outcome of each level so choose wisely.

While the single player mode provides only limited enjoyment it does prepare you for the multi-player options that can take place online against up to 7 additional players or on a single device in split screen mode where you can enjoy twice the fun on a single device as you play cooperatively through the campaign mode.

The online cross platform multi-player mode certainly promises to offer added value to the game with multiple game types, unfortunately though each time I’ve played the multi-player version of the game there has never been more than 1 other person available in a game which has limited the promise of a massive online multi-player gun-fight.

Crust will certainly appeal to some players who are looking for some retro cave shooting fun but at $2.99 for a universal app with a limited single player mode and only a few players in the online version of the game there are better alternatives out there for everyone.

[rating: 2/5]

What we like

  • Co-operative, single device mode
  • Retro styling

What to know

  • Limited online multi-player
  • Short campaign mode
  • Graphics with limited appeal

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