An expertly crafted throwback shooter with a unique twist

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The Roto Force demo was such a refreshing surprise. It’s not often that a mobile game grabs my interest like this, but I found myself playing all the way through in a single session. It’s a simple idea, almost a retro-arcade concept: run along the ground shooting airborne targets with a variety of weapons. The ingenious twist is that the arenas are circular, and my little militarized slug could leap across to avoid danger or sunder enemy armor.

More than anything else, Roto Force reminds me of Vlambeer games—and if you’ve played Nuclear Throne or Luftrausers, you’ll know exactly what I mean. Screenshake is intense, and a rotating four-color palette combine for some punchy, stylish action that’s accentuated by a powerful bullet-time mechanic.

My only complaints are that the controls feel a bit fussy sometimes. My left thumb frequently slipped up on my screen just a little, but it was enough to prevent me from moving my character laterally—I’d try to move and find myself jumping instead. During boss fights in particular, precise movement is key.

That said, I’m excited to check out the full game—as I said, the demo had my full attention from the start, and didn’t let go.