Flying your spaceship and shooting other bad spaceships will be what you will spend most of your time doing in Manticore: Galaxy on Fire. Fortunately, it's a refined and precise experience, with easy to pick up controls that allow for all sorts of flashy maneuvers. The left analog stick controls your ship direction and the right one controls braking, boosting and triggering left or fight barrel rolls that can be used to evade enemy locks. That is all you will need to know about flight controls and despite really responsive, we found sometimes using this default scheme made us inadvertently barrel roll while boosting and crashing our ship onto space debris or capital ships.
Weapons systems are reserved for the shoulder buttons. ‘ZR’ will fire your infinite primary weapons while ‘ZL’ will fire your limited, missile weapons. You can use ‘R’ and ‘L’ to quickly swap between weapon mount points. Your primary weapons have different types of ammo (ballistic, laser, plasma), fire modes and range. As more of these you unlock, the more options you will be able to fit into your ship and having the right weapon type for each boss is key to a smooth victory.
Some ships have device slots and you can use these with ‘A’ and ‘B’, adding options like EMP pulses or cloaking devices to your arsenal. If you do happen to find yourself fighting a space pirate boss without the proper weapon to take him out, you can either restart and reconfigure your loadout or, if you’re stubborn like us, ram them into submission. Micromanagement of your weapon load-outs plays a big part of the game and it is particularly well implemented.
As you would expect, the highlight of the game goes to the spaceships you will be able to fly. There are a total of nine different vessels, divided into three categories (fighter, scout and gunship) and faction (Terran, Nivelian and Vossk). All of them have different hull, energy, shield and missile ratings. Just like all primary and secondary weapons, these can be upgraded, limited to your current level and available Mhaan-Tiq. Unlike the free mobile version, you don’t have to pay for these as they are rewarded upon successful mission completion. Regardless of your choice of upgrades, there is no denying these ships look absolutely stunning.
The campaign is divided into three long acts, with plot exposure being delivered by very welcome voice acting for all characters. The Manticore mercenaries take on a breadcrumb approach at hunting down space pirate factions by taking down their leaders one by one, thus most of the missions will evolve you destroying a particular boss ship. Repetition might be a bit of an issue for some, but we prefer to celebrate instead the amount of ways the developer found to keep things interesting, adding several other types of mission to break up the usual ace pirate dog fight: escort missions, cargo inspection missions, capital ship take downs, combat air patrol for the Manticore itself and even the odd race here and there. You are never quite sure of what is around the corner and it certainly motivates the player to keep going not only to know where the plot is being driven but what the developers have come up for you next.
Apart from the regular missions, there is also an optional free exploration of each sector you do battle in. In these you are often left alone to explore with your probe satellite for hidden data cubes, items that will unlock hundreds of lore codex entries where you can delve deep into the lore of the Galaxy on Fire series. These can sometimes get a bit frustrating if you spend 20 minutes scouring every inch of a sector for that last illusive bit of intel, but players who do take these on will also be able to recover 15 different prototype Terran ship parts which will then be added to your hangar as a flyable option. When you’re done, you can either warp straight into your next mission or dock onto the Manticore to tweak your ride.
It is impossible not to review Manticore without making sure you take a good look at this game's graphics. Every sector you fly into battle is an exquisite canvas of lovely stellar backgrounds adorned with all sort of science fiction props such as space stations, jump gates, capital ships, aftermath wreckage from epic battles you can only imagine in your head and so on. You can even hit ‘+’ at any time and enter 'Action Freeze', a photo mode that lets you freely fill your Switch photo library with gorgeous space vistas and your ship from any angle you desire.
All of this running at a smooth 60fps, courtesy of the improvements made to the game when jumping to Switch hardware. It is true that if you ever played the developers more recent PC offerings you will notice there are less dynamic lightning effects, but what was accomplished within the limited Tegra hardware here is no short of a masterpiece. If you grew up on TV shows like Babylon 5, Manticore looks exactly like you imagined video games in the future would look like.
Sound was not overlooked either. Besides the aforementioned great voice acting (with hilarious quips from your ship’s AI making you forget the Link-like mute stance of your pilot) and despite the fact that there is no way for sound to travel in the void of space, a quiet game Manticore it is not: Sound effects for your weapons are meaty and satisfying, explosions are frequent and pack the appropriate punch while interactive music means it will pick up the pace when you are engaged in battle and play out moody, sci-fi eerie melodies when you’re out exploring.
A few issues do pop up and shatter the illusion of being a part of a galaxy torn by warfare and unlawfulness. The enemy AI pilots are often a bit on the daft side of the spectrum, even in the highest difficulty settings. While most of the attacking waves will serve less than mere annoyances to your mighty arsenal, it is often sad to see them unable to successfully navigate the intricate set piece the developers set up for them to do battle in. This becomes a true glaring issue when you spot the enemy ace space pirate ships smacking straight into say, a space station (and if you’re not careful, you right along with it). Nothing too deal breaking, but still a shame since addressing some of these issues would results in a better overall experience. The lack of any sort of multiplayer is understandable due to the game’s roots but still somewhat disappointing.
Conclusion
Manticore: Galaxy on Fire is an outstanding example of mobile-to-Switch done right. A gorgeous looking, content-heavy slice of space shooting action with a deep plot, set in a lore filled universe that has taken years to mature during a decade since the Galaxy on Fire series premiered in the mobile market. True that just like the games of old within this genre, this remains niche and will possibly only tickle the fancy of a very specific target audience with the whole Switch owner population. If you happen to be one of these individuals, jump right in and be prepared for some great space antics ahead, hunting down alien criminals we are very sure were named by the developer’s cats running wild in their keyboards. Plus on top of it all: It is an exceptional tease and proof-of-concept for the up and coming conversion of EverSpace to the Switch. See you, space cowboys.
Comments 85
This was on my "wait-for-review-then-decide" list!
Since it got an 8/10 - I'm gonna get it!
@SimonMKWii You're in for a treat.
Game looks gorgeous and plays smooth as butter. If you're a fan of StarFox i say this is a must buy!
Looks amazing and was waiting on the review, also will wait to see if physical comes out. Will give it a year then i will get it as my backlog is mental
Are these space battles on-rails sequences, or can I move freely?
Could you add the price of the games in these reviews?
@Mr_Horizon Nice avatar!
Nothing is on rails here, you can freely fly wherever you want within the contained pocket of space your mission takes place. When you stray too far off the mission, you get a warning and then the autopilot will force you back into the sector.
Minor plot spoilers in the video ahead, but you get the sense of the "free flight":
I ain't paying 18 freaking pounds for a damn mobile port.
@timson72 In my country it costs €19.99.
I have it and I love it ! Fun, fast and exciting !
The only issue I see is that you can pass through some of the set parts during your flight.
It's not that important but I find this a little illusion-breaker !
@dunnyone This mentality is exactly why I did my very best to make people understand this is no mere ios-to-switch cheap port, but I guess I would never be able to reach all...
@gurtifus Yes, I did find some "no clip" sections mostly inside probably parts where I was not suppose to be flying in anyway. I dind't think it was game breaking either.
@Shiryu it must be a hard life being the smartest person in the comment section.
@dunnyone Excuse me? I wrote this review knowing fully well that there is a version of this game free on iOS and took that into consideration while pondering if this Switch port had enough incentives to break way from the freemium model into a paid game. From where did you assume I insulted you or anyone else for doing my job?
@Shiryu you can't insult me, I'm a pie.
@dunnyone ... good point. Now I want pie...
Definitely another great game on Switch. What a library we have access to eh?
FWIW, I gave it an 8 first thing this morning when adding it to my NL 'collection', so good to see we on the same wavelength
And for those worrying, its definitely worth the price vs the 'free' mobile game. If you paid for the same features you have on the Switch version, it would work out a lot more expensive.
Plus on Switch you have access to TV play, physical controls (as of now, the iOS version doesnt have MFI support oddly).
The devs are going to release this Switch version as a 'premium' product on iOS shortly as well. Be interesting to see if they match the Switch pricing, but I'm guessing it will be £9.99 on iOS.
@pbb76 It is impossible to understate how much better physical inputs are for this sort of games.
@Shiryu It really is - I'd say its borderline unplayable on iOS - at least to the level you can play it on Switch.
I'm grateful GoF2 on iOS has MFI support as it is the better game (depth wise).
This game had my curiosity, now it has my attention. I just wanted to know for sure that it was heavy on content and would take a decent amount of time to beat. The worst thing about smaller games is that they end up being short, brief experiences. Whether a game is 2D or 3D, indie or AAA, I look for meaty experiences, and this game sounds like it has what I'm looking for.
@pbb76 it will be cheaper on iOS for sure. Completely different markets.
Seriously thinking about getting this after that review. Looks fun and I don't have anything like it on Switch.
@QwertyQwerty
Now I can't decide between this one or the bi-planes one.
What's needed is a WW2 one with a red-and-white checkerboard decal on the Spitfire so I can gladly take this one.
@QwertyQwerty I've been looking everywhere for that review. Saw it this morning, thought I'd read it later and now it's disappeared!
Guessing they broke the embargo by mistake. It happens, hopefully no slapped wrists from Ubi.
Anyway, back on topic - great review as always from Shiryu!
Sounds like a good game, but I'll wait for the Everspace port. I'd probably crack and get this if I didn't pick up Wings of Fury DX when that dropped. I'll never say never on this one though. If I find myself with some spare eshop money on my birthday....
I'll probably get this at some point then. I was just waiting to see if it would review well.
Not interested in these ports. If you want this buy the cheaper version.
> Implying you need sound waves to physically collide with your ear in the future.
Obviously tech on your ship use one of a billion other ways to detect vibrations that would've caused sound in a normal atmosphere, and relay it to you the way you would've heard it.
Freelancer is one of my favourite games in this genre and this game doesn't quite live up to it. But it's close enough to scratch an itch, I hope more games like it come for the Switch in the future.
On mobile, this thing is the worst with its in-app purchases. So I don't think you can compare those two...
Nice Bebop reference.
Happy to hear they pulled this one off so well!
It's a very slick looking title, and it'd be a crying shame if the game was just haphazardly shoveled unto to switch.
@Rubbercookie You will find a very pleasing Freelancer feeling on this one.
@WhiteTrashGuy
@Axlroselm buy the cheaper version? Let us know where that exists right now?
The one in app stores today is the free game full of micro transactions and it's a different game as it's made for in app purchases.
Plus which version do you think controls better?
@SmaggTheSmug Don't want to ring any bells, but Sky Rogue is also due this week. Three different games, three different aesthetic styles, all with the same awesome flying gameplay that has been absent from the Switch game's library. April is a month of spoiled choices for virtual fly boys.
Generally when I hear a game began on mobile, I always dismiss it. But the sci-fi buff in me really wants to hope this game is good. I might cave and give it a chance.
@Shiryu would be nice to have the info in the review,saves me having to go on the eshop all the time.
@Shiryu Great, now what we need is a WW2 game (even if Mustang was the better plane, Spitfire had the coolest name) and maybe some kind of adaptation of Guns of Icarus style gameplay. So we can have multiple ages of real world flight, spaceships and airships! Followed maybe by a video game adaptation of Deff Skwadron for some hilarious orky flying/crashing.
And then, hopefully, that darn pigeon can be finally caught.
Nice review and I think this will be a purchase this evening. I’ll have to look into everspace too!
To echo a comment above, it would be handy to have the price included in the reviews. As a frugal gamer, it can swing it for me.
$15-20 is pretty much an impulse buy and a definite wish lister for games scoring 8. 7 if it’s a genre or character I really like.
$60 and I hum and har for months on end (looking at you Splatoon 2 and Mario Rabbids).
@timson72 But there are too many zones and too many currencies. :x
@SmaggTheSmug If only we could get The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces ported over... I hope these games sell well enough for Project Aces to wise up.
@Shiryu Great review, How would you say this compares to Rogue Squadron ?
@Gerald They're both different games since this one doesn't have any ground missions and doesn't rely on previous established rules like the Star Wars universe. While Rogue Squadron is by far the star Wars you always dreamed when you were a kid, Manticore is the video game you would watch as a serialized TV series back in the 90's.
Been waiting for your review, gonna get it now. Still, didn't expect it to get such high rating (compared to many others who gave it a really low one).
The only thing I'm not liking about the game is that, at times, it feels too much like a mobile game. Which cheapens the experience somehow.
However, the game is fun and responsive.
@eldair There is a niche target audience for this one. I sense those will be the only people who will truly appreciate what is on offer here.
@Shiryu not really,only need to cater to £,€,$.
I remember trying to get into this series on mobile and PC, and just didn't like the control schemes in either of them. Hopefully having a controller helps sort that out.
@timson72 I thought so too... until I realised the € prices vary from game to game all over Europe eShop zones.
@Shiryu
So I WAS trying to hold out for EVERSPACE, but now it seems I have to play this.... ; )
@WhiteTrashGuy Despite similar engines, both games play a very different game. This one is campaign driven, linear mission type affair while EverSpace is a more Dark Souls style experience where you grow your ship/skills the farther ahead you manage to reach.
Look's like a good game, but just not digging the $20 price tag would have been a definitive purchase if it was priced at $14.99. So I will just hold out for a sale on this game.
@mowerdude
Agreed.
@mowerdude That is exactly what I paid for it using my Gold points reserve. =)
@Shiryu Yup, I was just about to say that. Getting alot of freelancer vibe. How does it compare to freelancer?
@seph_patrick In aesthetics it is almost 1:1! Controls are equally smooth but instead of having several sectors interlinked where you can freely explore, this follow more a Wing Commander / Star Lancer campaign path where missions unlock new sectors to explore.
@dunnyone you are missing out
@mowerdude Its a great game, worth $40.
@Shiryu does the game play remind you of Star Fox 64 ??? Because if it does at least a little i will buy it asap.
@Mr_Horizon Not on rails. It plays a lot like the all range mode in Star Fox except with very large 3D (X,Y,Z) environments. I posted some clips on my twitter @GremmPaltakin
@Shiryu What about RPG elements, are they satisfying?
@Metroidkiller64 absolutely. I keep thinking this is the kind of game I have wanted a StarFox sequel to be since 64. Its excellent.
@Metroidkiller64 Check the video I posted in the comments above so you understand why this is different. There are no on rails levels, the game is an ongoing set of "all range mode" missions in space. But if you want the stylish space ships, lasers and explosions, you he come to the right place.
@eldair Quite, they give you a reason to explore. After the main combat or objective of a level is done you can go around and search the area, spacestations, destroyed capital ships, asteroids and there are items. the leveling up and upgrades really gives you motivation.
@eldair Most of the experience/levelling up are there just so you can raise the cap on the upgrades you can get for your ships and weapons. Managing your hangar to get your ships just right is probably the most satisfying non-flying-in-outerpace-blowing-stuff-up bit of the game.
@Shiryu great review! I was looking forward to this game and I am not disappointed. It reminds me a bit of Wing Commander.
Excellent review, great game!
@Rogueleader76 Well, you're not in the army here, you're a gun for hire but other than that, it is a similar plot/campaign style affair.
@GremmPaltakin awesome definitely downloading it when i get home
This looks and sounds awesome! I am in!
I am interested, but I think I will probably wait for Everspace for my spacefaring adventures.
Is this the same version as on the apple tv4? If its i see no reason to purchase it- and like most mobile games it does not Feel like a real deep game.
Thanks for the review Shiryu! I bought it this weekend. I love the voice acting (wow is there a lot), and the graphics are impressive. I am waiting for the gameplay to pick up a little, but I'm still on my first ship and have not fully grasped the upgrade system (here's where a printed manual would be great).
One knock: when I beat a boss, I want to to see his ship gloriously explode . . . not a cutscene with one last statement of bravado.
@bluedogrulez I do believe the initial iOS version had no voice overs, but a post launch update added them and it truly adds a ton of atmosphere to the whole thing.
Fantastic review, amazing game. Immortal Redneck has stolen my attention atm, but slowly digging back in. This, Skies of Fury, and soon Sky Rogue, make me so happy. Now we just need 4x games.
This just seems like my type of game. Couldn't resist
@dunnyone I think you may be the only one smart enough to realise that @shiryu is the smartest person in the comments section.
Pretty damn good for a Pie! 😊
And what about an Elite Dangerous on the Switch !?!
@Shiryu good point, it reminds me of Wing Commander, in the fact that you fly around, take out enemies, and have wingmen...ok, so that describes a lot of games....
Loved Implosion - also a mobile to Switch port, but it was great. I loved GoF 2 and I’ll pick this up based on this review. I have manticore on iOS (ATV) but I didn’t care much for the controls. This ticks the boxes for me.
@Fake-E-Lee I don't think you will be disappointed, despite this being a linear progression campaign, there is a ton of stuff to see, blow up and discover.
@Fake-E-Lee Just make sure you take your time to enjoy the sights so you can fill your Switch photo album with stuff like this:
I think it's boring. Slow pace, no real action, always the same, lame impact and repetive. Extremely cool graphics though. Not more than 6.
Really, really surprised how highly this game has been rated here. It's good fun and a nice diversion but is quite light-weight - from the controls, the missions, the 'RPG elements' (really?) - it didn't surprise me at all that it's come from a mobile game, because the missions are all small morsels and the controls basic.
I guess as there is very little competition for this kind of game on the Switch I would give it a 6/10, but as a game of this type it's not even a scrap of something like Elite. And there are far better shooters out there also if that's your thing.
Tap here to load 85 comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...