GlueFO 2.0

Description: GlueFO is back, this time with 3 game modes, 8 challenges, 42 awards and new upgrades. GlueFO manufacturers could not afford conventional weaponry due to a credit crunch, use your GluVex 3000 to capture and fling the tiny orbs!

Kongai Card: Origami Crane
Requirements: Split 5 orbs in a single shot.

GlueFO is a simplistic game with a simple premise. You play as a UFO, and you have absolutely no weapons.. except the GluVex 3000, that allows you to capture tiny orbs and throw them. Mastering this aspect of the game is fairly easy, but the real challenge comes in dodging the larger orbs as you try to split them into smaller orbs. Naturally, this means that at the end of most levels, your screen is flooded with tiny orbs, which then latch to your ship and make things easier as the game goes on.

So, finishing the game is not particularly difficult. The game warns that you have only one health bar, and you can't refill it, which should keep you on your toes. The addition of enemies, with the same weapons as you and with varying speeds, help mix things up a bit, so you're not just splitting greater amounts of orbs in each level. They aren't generally overwhelming, but in numbers they can be, especially since the bigger orbs can't hurt them, and they make a bee-line through anything to get to tiny dots, because they can do the same things you can.

If you're not careful, this can lead to chaos real quick. It's best to just kill the enemy UFO's that appear first before going after the bigger orbs. By monopolizing the tiny orbs, this makes handling the enemy UFO's easier.

Once the game is finished, then it's time to head for the challenges! They range from slightly challenging to damn near impossible. I didn't manage to beat the last challenges, because some of them are just impossible. Not to mention, you can't keep any of the upgrades you got during the main game, so that only complicates things further. Not an easy game for points, at any rate.

The replay value is still pretty low for a decent game. Once you finish the challenges and earn the rewards for the badge, you can pretty much move on. There's really no incentive to keep you there and playing, even if it may take several sessions to get all the badges. Not to mention, the achievements in the game have very little variety, and aren't particularly inventive. They just seem to be there because they can be, and don't offer much.

Rating: 5/10

Achievement: Warrior of the Worlds (Easy - 5 Points)
Description: Kill 10 evil UFO's in any mode.
Tips: You should easily get this badge just playing the main game.

Achievement: "I'd Like To Thank The Academy" (Medium - 15 Points)
Description: Earn any 25 awards.
Tips: Not particularly difficult, either. You'll be pretty close to this amount by the time you're done with the main game.

Achievement: Unstoppable Flying Object (Hard - 30 Points)
Description: Complete all eight challenges.
Tips: I don't even have the patience to get this one. Some of the challenges are hair-rippingly challenging, to the point where it's not even worth it. The first four or so aren't nearly as bad as some of the last ones, and can lure you into a false sense of security. Try for this at your own risk.

Miscellaneous Tips: In the main game, focus on the UFO upgrades, first. The ones that allow you to pull in orbs and turn in place. These are considerably more valuable than the other upgrades, and I managed to get through the main game without even knowing they were upgrades.