Loon Apps has quietly built up a decent collection of Windows Phone games that are entertaining time wasters. These games include Covy Rush, Links and Fly or Die! is the developer's more recent Windows Phone arcade game.
The premise of Fly or Die! is similar to other Windows Phone games such as Flappy Bird or Line Birds. You guide your bird, Piou, through a series of obstacles that protrude from the top and bottom of the gaming screen.
Fly or Die! includes four, progressively unlocked worlds to conquer and is available for low-memory Windows Phones and Windows devices. It's not an action-packed gaming title but will challenge your timing, patience and luck. If you are looking for a Windows Phone game to help you pass the time with, Fly or Die! isn't a bad option to consider.
Fly or Die! greets you with an uncomplicated main menu. Here you will find an option to jump into the game along with links to other Loon Apps gaming titles. When you tap the option to play the game, the screen will transition into a secondary menu. This menu will have options to follow Loon Apps on Twitter and Facebook, visit Loon Apps YouTube channel, rate the game and mute the sound.
When you are ready to start the game, simply tap the screen to start the countdown timer. Once the timer hits zero, your bird Piou is shot from a cannon to start his journey. To keep Piou aloft, you will need to tap the screen. The faster you tap, the higher on the screen Piou will fly. If you stop tapping, gravity will take hold of Piou and you will find your bird racing towards the ground.
Along Piou's flight, you will find obstacles jutting out from the top and bottom of the screen that resemble yellow worms or fingers with angry faces drawn on them. There are also buzz saws to avoid. You'll need to tap the screen just right to fly your bird over or between the obstacles. Hit an obstacle or slam into the ground and the game is over.
It does take a few tries to get a hang for the timing of Fly or Die! and your score is measured by how far you complete each world. Fruit is scattered throughout the game that has to be collected to unlock the next world and you will need to finish 100% of the current level before the next world can be unlocked. Fly or Die! has four worlds to pilot Piou through and the further you travel in each world, the more difficult it becomes to slip past the dangers.
Overall Impression
Looking at Fly or Die! on its own merits, the game is a fun time waster of a Windows Phone game. The mechanics are simple but timing your flight just right to pass through all the dangers you will encounter gives the game a healthy amount of challenge. What may hurt Fly or Die! is that there are so many games of this style. It really does not offer anything to create a little separation from the other games of this style.
I would have liked to have seen a few power-ups or maybe even a few bird styles to choose from to give Fly or Die! a little more flavor. The developer should be given credit in how they use the ad-support. The banner will appear on throughout the game but disappears when you get into game play.
All in all, Fly or Die! is a decent Windows Phone title to have tucked away in your gaming library for those occasions when you need a little help passing the time. The game is available from the Windows 10 Store but plays out better from the smaller screen of a Windows Phone. At last check, Fly or Die! is pulling down a 4 Star rating in the Stores. We'd place it in the 3.5 to 4 star range and if you try Fly or Die! let us know what you think of the game in the comments below.
- Download Fly or Die! from the Windows Phone Store (Free)
- Download Fly or Die! from the Windows 10 Store (Free)
