Arcade Sniper is a 2-D shooter in which you pilot the X-wing Sniper and fight to keep the evil, alien boss Obliterator from destroying Earth. Earn bonuses, upgrade your weapons and face various enemies in this seemingly upgraded version of the arcade classic Galaga.
Arcade Sniper is another 2-D shooter by Softendo that is much like Mario Forever Galaxy, without the Mario story behind it. Much like a new-age and more complex version of arcade classic Galaga, Arcade Sniper is simple and yet oddly addicting.
Take control of the X-wing Sniper and shoot your way through levels to make it to the evil Obliterator—a menacing alien boss bent on attacking and destroying Earth. The weapon system is pretty simple; you begin with a basic gun atop your ship (which you can shoot by using the space bar). But you can pick up upgrades that fall from the enemy ships. You can attach up to three upgrades to your gun at a time, making it a “special” weapon for some time. All of the upgrade “bubbles” that fall yield different abilities. Honestly, you can basically tape or hold down the space bar and focus on steering with the directional buttons. You never run out of ammo.
The enemies begin as one-shot ships and then, with each level, grow into more complex foes. They can do different moves and can take more damage. Every few minutes, a UFO will appear and attempt to shoot damaging laser beams down at Earth. If you get in the way, this is an instant kill. But if you destroy the UFO, you’ve protected Earth for a little while longer.
The music, I suppose, matches the mood and has a very industrial, techno-ish sound. Though there isn’t much leveling up in this game, I could play it for hours. Just clearing the screen of all enemy ships is satisfying and to do it through multiple levels? Yes, please.