The free game has decent graphics, and its gameplay offers a nice set of challenges to test your flying and targeting skills. The controls are simple but have periods in which they feel a little sluggish. However, a little fine-tuning should be able to fix the problem.
All in all, Valley Assault is an enjoyable Windows 10 Mobile game with potential.
The opening menu for Valley Assault includes options to view and unlock additional aircraft, access the game's settings, view the various valley courses and jump into gameplay. Valley Assault has 12 styles of fighter aircraft that range from the F-16 Falcon to the MIG-31. You begin the game piloting the SAAB JAS-39 Gripen with the option to unlock the additional aircraft with coins you earn during gameplay.
There are two methods of controlling your aircraft in the game's settings. You can control the fighter aircraft's weapons with on-screen buttons, and you pilot the plane by either using the tilt sensors on your phone or via on-screen controls. The tilt controls work the best and seem to be the most responsive. On-screen controls tend to clutter the screen, and there is a slight lag after tapping a directional arrow, causing your plane to drift.
Missions are "seek and destroy" in nature, requiring you to pilot your plane through a series of mountain valleys. Targets include bases, enemy aircraft, and missile installations. Along with the challenge of navigating across narrow valley passages, planes have a limited supply of ammunition and missiles. This requires you to manage your munitions carefully and choose your targets wisely. For example, when tasked with destroying base camps, you should concentrate on the main building and ignore the guard towers.
Along with the controls for weapons (and piloting if chosen), the game display has a small radar thumbnail that highlights your targets, a damage meter, and an afterburner control. You also have a reload button should you need a few extra missiles or bullets. Just keep in mind that reloading costs you a healthy amount of coins (4,000).
Once you complete one mission, the game transitions into a new mission assignment. Coins can be collected during gameplay, as well as awarded with each mission success. As mentioned, coins can be used to unlock additional aircraft and reload your weapons.
Overall impression of Valley Assault
Valley Assault grew on me. It has decent graphics and challenging missions. The controls are likely the game's biggest weakness, though.
A lag time is present with the on-screen controls that often causes your plane to overshoot a direction. While tilt controls provide more responsive steering, the plane can be sluggish at times, as if you were flying through a bowl of clam chowder. Also, remember you are flying across narrow valleys in many of these missions. Sticking to the valleys as you seek out the enemy is critical because it is impossible to climb high enough, fast enough to fly over the surrounding mountains. If the developer, polished up the controls, our rating would increase by at least half a star.
There is room for improvement with Valley Assault, but the overall gaming experience is good. I don't know if it will hold up to marathon gaming sessions, but for short bits of time, it should be fine.
If you have tried Valley Assault, let us know what you think in the comments. There is also a related Windows Central Forums discussion, in which you can chat it up with the game's developer.
