To really understand StarDrone Extreme is to see it in action rather than read about it on paper, because while it combines things we've all seen before (a touch of pinball, a touch of Breakout and a touch of Spider-Man-style web slinging physics), putting into words how it all comes together doesn't do justice to the unwieldy, but very satisfying way these elements collide.
StarDrone Extreme
For: PlayStation Vita (via PlayStation Network)
From: Beatshapers/Orb Games
Rating: Everyone (mild fantasy violence)
Price: $US4
Though other objectives factor in, the fundamental goal in Extreme is to manage those physics in a way that gets your ship around each of the 60 levels and clears the area of collectable pieces (or, later on, enemies) in as little time as possible.
The catch is that you don't control the ship directly, but instead use objects in the level to sling and bounce it around indirectly.
Those levels are loaded with enough obstacles (some dangerous, some not) to make getting around, much less quickly, easier said than done.
For the impatient, it may be too unwieldy to even enjoy. But for those who love obsessively replaying levels in hopes of shaving a second off their time and achieving leaderboard supremacy, this is pretty much bliss.
Extreme inexplicably excludes StarDrone's button controls in favour of touch-only options. They work great - arguably better than the buttons, even - but why deny players a choice they previously had?
