Sky Force Reloaded

The shooting is fun, but the real hook is devoting time to creating a terrifying killing machine

With a solid progression system that means no defeat has to be too punishing and every attempt gets you a little further, Sky Force Reloaded is a 'one more try' shooter. Building up your ship from a pathetic husk to a monstrous killing machine is satisfying and fun, but it's a slight shame that the game is let down at times by bland environments and all too familiar enemy types.

Sky Force Reloaded is a fun shmup with a good variety of dangers to deal with and one that gives you a number of options to deal with them. Stages can be tough, but when you nearly make it you'll want to dive back in and try again, certain you know how to do better this time around. Sometimes you'll be forced to replay them in order to proceed further in the game, whether that's grinding for stars or looking to achieve a medal, although that can still feel fresh due to tackling the stages a different way. The thrill of finally beating a tricky level can be dampened by the realisation you need to go pick up a handful of medals however, but it can be fun to return to a previously tricky stage and ease through thanks to an improved craft. Sky Force Reloaded may force you to spend time with it and feel like a grind as a result, but for the most part, the time invested is enjoyable.

While it takes a bit to open up, Sky Force Reloaded kicks in nicely once you've got a properly powerful ship and a nice selection of medals to chase after through its wide variety of levels.

Sky Force Reloaded is a vertical scroll shoot'em up that knows how to give such a classic premise a fresh flavor. From here, fifteen levels full of excitement, shooting, tension, different enemies, and bigger bosses await us. Perhaps the ship's progress system requires excessive star farming, and the difficulty lacks a bit of adjustment, but do not be fooled, the virtues continue to make the game a very remarkable experience.

Sky Force Reloaded is a reimagining of cell phone game brought to consoles and PC. It's a 19XX and Raiden style game, but looking good. It's challenging and will require a lot of hours played to complete. Also available for free on mobile.

Sky Force Reloaded for the Nintendo Switch is a welcome addition of a game that will certainly please fans of the 2D shooting genre, thanks to its good gameplay mechanics and cooperative mode. Where Sky Force Reloaded loses out is on its price, as the Nintendo Switch version asks for a value that is not requested for its free mobile counterpart.

While not terrible, Sky Force Reloaded asks too much of the player with too little to give back. With some reworking to the exorbitant grind, I would maybe recommend this, but there are far better shoot 'em ups on the Switch that deserve your time and attention.

It's a testament to the development team that the game feels fresh and exciting after hours of play, where every subsequent upgrade still feels like a milestone achievement and each victory still feels like a demonstration of skill rather than avatar strength.

Sky Force Reloaded is a really fun arcade, shooter that looks great on the Nintendo Switch. If you're looking for a challenge or something to make you feel nostalgic check it out!