Review: Kill Shot Bravo
Billed as the premier first person competitive shooter on mobile devices, Hothead Games have high hopes for their latest game,Kill Shot Bravo. A sequel to a popular mobile game already, Bravotakes the action online, allowing players to play with or against each other. Being a free-to-play title also means that the barrier to entry is practically non-existent.
So is this enough to make it the ‘premier’ title?
Thankfully for many of us with limited space on our phones, Kill Shot Bravo comes in at a relatively modest 170MB. While this does impact the visuals and audio a bit, it means that I don’t have to sacrifice too much to get it on my phone. Thankfully, the presentation of the game and its menus are relatively clean so it’s still a good-looking game.
The game sees you become an assassin, kitted out with sniper weapons, assault rifles, machine guns and other tools, allowing you to take on multiple mission types. The main mode in the game sees you take your trusty sniper rifle to various locations to take down targets. Tasks can include taking out support officers, back-up or primary boss targets too.
The primary controls mean you pinch to zoom on your device and drag your finger across the screen to aim. The fire button lies in the bottom corner, ready to be pressed when your target is in your sights. The standard sway when holding a rifle is present but can easily be counterbalanced while aiming.
Once your shot rings out, depending on whether it’s a kill shot – see what I did there – you see a slowed down version of events as your bullet travels to its destination. Reminiscent of Sniper Elite, the view is charming at first but quickly wears thin. As the visuals are limited, this view’s impact is less impressive – and without testicles to explode, it seems like a wasted opportunity!
As well as the main game mode, there are also Breach and Assault missions. These change up the formula by putting you in amongst the enemy, forcing you to be quick with your aiming and shooting. Both modes serve as a welcome departure from the main game as it makes your shots feel more immediate and valuable. Of course, when the rather pixelated forms of your enemies are brought closer to your view, it does make the game stand out more as not the most technically advanced.
Where the game excels however, is the online PvP mode. You can play against people online or partner up with them and have them act as spotters for you. Both modes worked well enough, with some minor hitches based on connection type but the game-play was never too badly affected.
The main draw to the game is earning cash to upgrade your weapons and accessories. This is where the title lives or dies in terms of whether people are willing to invest time (and money) in the game. While some content is gated based on whether you have a good enough gun for the mission, it never felt like I had to grind to achieve it. It seems like most of the monetisation is for people who enjoy the game and want to get the cool stuff quicker, which is the least offensive version of this pay model.
I enjoyed playing Kill Shot Bravo and will likely play it more on my commutes. The missions are short but fun, the upgrade model is fair and the other game modes add to the game’s longevity. With zero barrier to entry, there’s no reason not to try it out.
So is this enough to make it the ‘premier’ title?
• Developer: Hothead Games
• Publisher: Hothead Games
• Reviewed on: Android
• Also Available On: iOS
• Release Date: Available Now
• Publisher: Hothead Games
• Reviewed on: Android
• Also Available On: iOS
• Release Date: Available Now
The game sees you become an assassin, kitted out with sniper weapons, assault rifles, machine guns and other tools, allowing you to take on multiple mission types. The main mode in the game sees you take your trusty sniper rifle to various locations to take down targets. Tasks can include taking out support officers, back-up or primary boss targets too.
The primary controls mean you pinch to zoom on your device and drag your finger across the screen to aim. The fire button lies in the bottom corner, ready to be pressed when your target is in your sights. The standard sway when holding a rifle is present but can easily be counterbalanced while aiming.
Once your shot rings out, depending on whether it’s a kill shot – see what I did there – you see a slowed down version of events as your bullet travels to its destination. Reminiscent of Sniper Elite, the view is charming at first but quickly wears thin. As the visuals are limited, this view’s impact is less impressive – and without testicles to explode, it seems like a wasted opportunity!
As well as the main game mode, there are also Breach and Assault missions. These change up the formula by putting you in amongst the enemy, forcing you to be quick with your aiming and shooting. Both modes serve as a welcome departure from the main game as it makes your shots feel more immediate and valuable. Of course, when the rather pixelated forms of your enemies are brought closer to your view, it does make the game stand out more as not the most technically advanced.
Where the game excels however, is the online PvP mode. You can play against people online or partner up with them and have them act as spotters for you. Both modes worked well enough, with some minor hitches based on connection type but the game-play was never too badly affected.
The main draw to the game is earning cash to upgrade your weapons and accessories. This is where the title lives or dies in terms of whether people are willing to invest time (and money) in the game. While some content is gated based on whether you have a good enough gun for the mission, it never felt like I had to grind to achieve it. It seems like most of the monetisation is for people who enjoy the game and want to get the cool stuff quicker, which is the least offensive version of this pay model.
The game is small – a boon for people with limited storage
Its primary gameplay mechanic is fun and addictive
The Breach and Assault modes add variety to proceedings
The game is not impressive visually…
…which makes the kill cams less impressive in turn
I enjoyed playing Kill Shot Bravo and will likely play it more on my commutes. The missions are short but fun, the upgrade model is fair and the other game modes add to the game’s longevity. With zero barrier to entry, there’s no reason not to try it out.
