– Rookie of the Year –

In the future, Mercenaries have it pretty rough, especially if they’re of rookie status. Everyone is trying to desperately find work with one of the many large conglomerates that own the ‘space’ around you (pun intended). When an issue does arise though, these massive powers tend to only favor the best of the best. For this mission, it’ll be the Manticore, a ragtag team comprised of ace pilots, an ex-military captain, and you.

Congratulations, you’ve been given the opportunity to accompany these veterans, rookie. Good luck to you, have fun, and God speed. Welcome to Manticore: Galaxy on Fire.

Developer: Deep Silver Fishlabs

Publisher: Koch Media

Digital Only // $19.99 USD // 9 hours played // Self-Purchase

I know of a few space operas that have begun this exact way and sadly, Manticore: Galaxy of Fire doesn’t do much to trend new ground. It follows a very tried and true formula that while it does work very well for science fiction, it just feels too safe.

Surprise, Things are on Fire!

Manticore: Galaxy on Fire is a port of a mobile franchise and it shows in many ways. For example, the story is delivered through several segments of radio chatter and Codex entries. Another downfall is that a lot of the lore is tied to the mobile exclusive titles which already puts newcomers at a disadvantage. The presentation is also very lackluster in that, it felt like the developers didn’t take full advantage of the unique capabilities a console would give them to flesh out the story. This meant that some aspects fell flat; for example, there was no emotional attachment with any of the characters here and to me, that felt like a missed opportunity.

Space Has So Much…Space

At times, Manticore: Galaxy on Fire can be beautiful and your first official mission is met with a fantastic view! Space is vast, there’re noticeable planets in the distance, and other celestial wonders envelope you as you fly along, escorting a ship towards a space station. Disappointingly, the beauty found in your first few missions quickly grows stale.

You will find that most of the first and second chapters, out of the three available, are filled with backdrops of broken ships and small asteroids. Here, it’s pretty clear that they are on a low budget, as the reused assets stand out, with the only difference being colors or placement. Thankfully, the final chapter returns to not only unique backgrounds once again, but also locations. However, it doesn’t make up for the fact that most of the universe felt a bit empty.



She’s All Ready to Go, Captain!

From a technical standpoint, it wouldn’t be fair to expect a mobile port to provide the same AAA experience found on consoles. First, you have to understand this is less a simulator, and more of an arcade experience. The battles are short and sweet, and auto aiming does a lot of the work for you. What’s pleasing about this approach is the speed of the battles. It may be fast, and the levels short, but the action is constant and unyielding.

You’ll find less of a wide-open expanse, and more of an arena battle between your forces and the enemy. The controls are tight and responsive, and switching between your primary and sub weapons is as easy as a button press. Every ship is equipped with boosters, and shifting from top speed to a crawl is simple and effective.

Go Where, Sir?

There’s a decent variety of mission types, too: escort, attack the target, survival, etc. A few of the mission types felt like time killers, and were unnecessary (looking at you, Time Attack), but for the most part the missions stay varied enough to keep you engrossed.

Manticore: Galaxy on Fire gives you a decent variety of ships and weapons to unlock, with some of the best being given to you late game. With no post-game content though, I felt some of the unlockables should have been given earlier on, as I found upgrading my final ship really only counted for the last few missions.

Never Tell Me the Odds

Again, from a technical standpoint, this mobile port does very well. I believe docked mode would be the best way to experience Manticore: Galaxy on Fire as the screen can get cluttered with alerts, objective notifications, and text windows in handled. I only caught the frame rate stutter a few times, and it was usually at the beginning of a mission. There were a few times I would catch one of my allies, or an enemy ship, running headfirst into their surroundings. For the most part though, the minor space battles that this game is made of functioned well.



In Space, No One Can Hear You Scream

The sound is arguably the most disappointing aspect of Manticore: Galaxy on Fire. The laser fire gets the job done, but there is no real sense of impact when it comes to taking fire or recoiling from the explosions around you. You can tell well enough when your ship is speeding up or slowing down, but the ambiance just isn’t there.

But Can They Hear You Jam Out?

The music is present at best. The musical tone will shift accordingly when you are in danger, but is easily drowned out by the rest of the activity that’s going on. Everything about the sound is serviceable, and as a mobile port, that’s something I can understand. Sadly, for the types (myself included) that enjoy a good space battle and want the whole package won’t find it here.



Enjoy the Ride

At the end of the day though, I did have fun during my time with Manticore: Galaxy on Fire, despite it never turning into the space battle simulator I had hoped for. I do have to give kudos to Deep Silver Fishlabs for what they were able to accomplish here. They were given a 3D Space shooter that was built with a mobile pay scheme in mind and turned it into a Nintendo Switch retail game. Most of the it is serviceable too, but never quite stellar (see what I did there?). Luckily, Manticore: Galaxy on Fire’s campaign is lengthy and filled with content so if you do visit it, it’ll keep you busy for awhile.

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