Dark Nebula - Episode 2 is, as the title suggests, the second instalment of a series brought to us by 1337 Game Design, headed up by Anders Hejdenberg who is perhaps most well known for his work on the console title Battlefield 2: Modern Combat. When we reviewed its predecessor, we found it to be a beautiful-looking, fun and fast-paced game which we struggled to find much fault with. The two stumbling blocks we did encounter were the game’s length, or lack of it, and the absence of any in-game music (before version 1.2), whether from the game itself or from your own playlists. In Episode 2 these issues have not only been rectified but, in the case of the latter, spectacularly so with a brilliant cinematic musical score – but still no ability to play along to your own musical accompaniment - and the total number of levels has been increased from 11 to 19. These rectifications, along with a few other additions, have contributed to the creation of a game that is, especially considering its minimalistic price tag of 59p, one of the best games available on the App Store.

The beautiful appearance of the game actually belies its inherent simplicity; you are tasked with using accelerometer controls to navigate through a variety of environments whilst avoiding a range of traps and collecting yellow and grey, halogen-tube-like items with the misnomic name of “orbs.” The array of perils which await you range from simply falling from pathways and navigating conveyor belts to avoiding spinning blades and dodging laser blasts. A whole new game mechanic also empowers you with the ability to acquire a weapon - a colour-coded, orbiting ball of light - which will damage both gate nodes and mobile enemies alike, so long as they match the colour of your power-up. Most of these enemies possess the ability to track you, and in many cases avoiding them will not enable you to progress. As well as colour, these foes also vary in size, mobility and endurance, even reaching to the extent of what in other games would be labelled as bosses. At the end of each level you will be awarded a bronze, silver or gold star depending upon your performance, which is calculated from sub-categories (with their own stars) for completion time, number of orbs collected and how many lives you lost in the process. There are also supported leaderboards where you can post your scores, and the ability to list your successes on Facebook as well. Interspersed amongst the normal levels are “Speed Levels,” which consist of more basic stages but played at high speed; their appearance akin to the world from the movie Tron, perhaps a nod to the upcoming Disney remake due later this year.

The introductory movie is a real tour de force of the iPhone’s in-game graphic capability

When encountering a game of this calibre it can be hard to identify any real negative aspects, and indeed with Dark Nebula Episode 2 we feel like we are just splitting hairs. We could grumble that this instalment, whilst admittedly and as advertised is ‘twice as long’ as its predecessor, still only presents a couple of hours of game play, but with an experience of such quality and at such a low price we really are nit-picking here. It would also be favourable to have the ability to play your own music, but when you have attached such an impressive musical score to your game we suppose you don’t want to go and allow players the opportunity of missing your hard work.

With such negligible weaknesses, let us instead focus on the game’s good points, and where better to start than the beginning? The introductory movie is a real tour de force of the iPhone’s in-game graphic capability, so impressive in fact that we have seen a fair few games on the current generation of consoles whose opening or in-game efforts pale in comparison. It is hard to believe but the in-game graphics are improved from the last outing, with even more detail added and more of a glossy finish. It is also a refreshing change to play a game which neither possesses nor requires a tutorial; the controls are so simple that all is needed is one overlaid message pointing out that you should tilt your device forward to progress. The difficulty curve is also of a good rate, utilising the concept of introducing a new trap/peril every level and combining them with those encountered previously. Another nice touch comes with the ability to calibrate the accelerometer so that you can choose your own angle of play, handy for those who like to play whilst lying in bed, for example. The levels are intelligently laid out, presenting just enough of a challenge to make your playing time interesting but not too difficult as to hamper the speed and momentum of the game, and the shield element permits a small amount of trial and error. The player begins each level with a shield surrounding them, but colliding once with an enemy or other hazard will destroy it. Not to worry though, should you progress far enough into the level there are strategically placed grills which provide you with a replacement. This does not account for falling from platforms though, in that aspect your shield will offer no assistance whatsoever.

We feel that Dark Nebula Episode 2 is a spectacular game, and a must for any iPhone gamer’s collection. With such an impressive showing for this second instalment it is hard to see how the series can improve upon itself. Such brilliant attention to detail in the graphics department and game play that is very easy to just pick-up and play or drop at a moment’s notice combine to create a truly engrossing experience that, whilst a play through may not last as long as you would like, you will want to replay it again and again.

Media gallery

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

More by this developer

Dark Nebula, B

Review by Ben Briggs, October 15, 2009

Why not try...

---

• 

  Sky Burger

• 

  Infect Them All

• 

  The Incident

• 

  Bub