Piloting a state-of-the-art aircraft in a future threatened by an alien invasion is just half the fun of Arklight. Few games tread a path of originality that breaks boundaries, crosses genres seamlessly, and does so in a near flawless fashion. To sum up the experience of Arklight, it would take four-parts puzzle interaction, three-parts strategy, two-parts action, and one-part 3D scrolling. Pieyegames pulled out all the stops in this small package, which isn't small in content. This game is very impressive, to say the least.

The story is about aliens who have invaded the planet, and they used MetaCubes to blockade the city. Fifty years had gone by until a pilot was ready to take control of the X52-Arklight. A futuristic aircraft powered by energized light. This aspect of the ship plays a heavy part in the way the game is played, because firing the energized bolts take down the ship's power meter. When the meter runs out, it's game over.

The mouse is used to control the Arklight and fire/use weapons. The first mouse button shoots the energy charges while the second mouse button is used to re-absorb nearby energy entities. Like any scrolling 3D shooter, players can go through and blast down everything in sight, however that's normally a quick road to game over. The cool part about using the Arklight is that when firing the energy weapons-in order to preserve the ship's energy-players can ricochet the energy blasts off the hull of the ship. Each stage consists of objects, enemies and MetaCubes that must be destroyed. Taking out a lot of cubes, turrets, tanks, or alien craft at once can easily be accomplished by charging up the energy cannons and letting off a large electronic blast. However, that method of playing this game can result in a quick destruction of the Arklight. This game requires a lot of strategy in the way that players must wipe out as many enemies and cubes as possible without destroying your own ship.

Each map is quite different from the next with a grand total of 50 different cities to save. Players begin by simply having to clear one area of MetaCubes. However, as the stages progress, players begin venturing through mazes filled with cubes, indestructible blocks, tanks, turrets and more. Each stage brings a unique and interesting challenge. The difficulty increases along with the game's fun factor.

Arklight is fascinating with multiple game-types and a unique mix of action, strategy, puzzle and space-shooting all combined into one. It's a bit like Tetris, a 3D Space Invaders, Breakout, and Pinball all fused together. The action is self-contained within all these elements that keeps the pace of the game well oiled, and the player having to think at break-neck speeds.

There's also various power-ups that players can recover with a range of effects. Power-ups range from giving players an extra pool of energy or a brief time in which the Arklight doesn't consume any of its energy to allowing player's shots to pierce through multiple bricks. Some moments of the game will have players trying to attain a power-up at all costs, as timing is a crucial factor for surviving in Arklight.


Graphics:
Right off the bat players will notice that this game is beautiful. The small filesize shouldn't deter gamers from this little gem. The lighting effects are what brings the Arklight to life, and the special effects are simply grand. The model designs and stages are also of top-notch quality; Arklight is a great looking game.

Sound:
The audio stands its ground for being decent. Sadly it's about the weakest part about the game, but that's only in comparison to the other great features. The music isn't bad, yet it isn't strikingly great either. The sound effects however, are pretty good. The explosions and energy zaps are the best part of the audio and conjunct with the rest of the game seamlessly.

Gameplay:
The controls are good, the pace is good, and strategy/action balance is spot-on and the enemies are challenging. Every part of this game works well in its own right. It's challenging enough for hardcore gamers, and easy enough for casual gamers to grasp onto without fail. This is a great game across the board.

Concept:
No doubt, the prize and reward for Arklight rest in its originality. The game will hopefully set a trend in gaming that mirrors a new genre. Simple concepts like shooting bricks and bad guys were extended to reach beyond the space-shooting crowd in this game. Including the ability to pinball energy bolts, battle bosses, and partake in Arkanoid-style brick encounters made this game a fascinating blend of gaming concepts.

Value:
Gamers won't be disappointed with this title at all. It's well-worth its price, and the replay values are well intact.

Recommendation:
This game is a definite buy right here. Arklight is a rare treat that is beyond the simple description of words. Pieyegames have ventured to bring gamers a crossbreed of genres that doesn't skip a beat. 50 levels of inspired originality and a multitude of power-ups and enemies definitely make Arklight a winner. This game is a must-buy.