The classic arcade shoot ’em up has thrived on the mobile platform, with plenty of ports of old-school games, some fancy remakes, and some totally brand new entries. It makes sense, the touchscreen is a great way to control a tiny ship and blast countless baddies out of the sky. However, Witherwood Studios wants to take a different approach to the shooter formula with their upcoming game Steelbound Sky. In it you’ll face an onslought of enemies racing towards you as the screen scrolls by, but instead of firing back at them, you’ll actually use the touchscreen to create wind currents that deflect their bullets and even the enemies themselves. Check out the trailer.
As you can see, Steelbound Sky totally nails the looks and sounds of an old-school arcade shoot ’em up, and the whole creating wind streams thing has me really intrigued. It promises 7 levels and dozens of enemy types along with powerful unlockable abilities which you’ll need to use to defend your town from the waves of attacking enemies. I love when developers try to utilize a platform’s strength by thinking outside of the box rather than just slap a bunch of virtual buttons everywhere. Not that I hate virtual buttons, but it’s nice to see unique experiences. Steelbound Sky is scheduled for release just a few days from now on the 19th, so keep an eye out for it.
UPDATE: Unfortunately Apple kicked back Steelbound Sky so it won’t be launching as intended. However, it’s been resubmitted and once approved should be launching within the coming weeks, possibly in early March at the latest. We’ll keep you posted!
