If you think about it, the Orks are the most Chaotic race in Warhammer 40K. They just do what they want, and what they want is often incredibly stupid, dangerous and violent. You wouldn’t invite one to a party if …
If you think about it, the Orks are the most Chaotic race in Warhammer 40K. They just do what they want, and what they want is often incredibly stupid, dangerous and violent. You wouldn’t invite one to a party if you wanted the venue to still be standing when they left.
Which is one of the reasons Dakka Squadron (download from the App Store and Play Store) is a bit disappointing. It’s got the Ork lingo down, and the makeshift, taped together aesthetic too. But when it comes to chaos, when it comes to the nail-biting thrill of flying a barely-cobbled-together contraption into battles to the death, it falls a bit flat.
The game sees you taking control of a series of Ork planes and flying them in short, sharp missions. You might need to take out another squadron, stop some troops from reaching your base, or destroy another warlord’s hideout.
The controls are pretty solid. You fly forwards automatically, and can change your speed by sliding a finger on the right of the screen and your direction on the left. Barrel rolls and 180 turns are controlled with swipes.
You’ll shoot automatically when you’re in range of a target, and you can use special moves with taps and double taps. All the information about your health is presented well, although the fuel gauge – which is essential for your barrel rolls and sharp turns – is a bit hidden in the top left of the screen.
The problem is you never really feel like you’re flying. Whomp into an obstacle and you’ll just keep barging into it until you move or explode. The 180 turn just feels weird, and there’s never a sense that you’re ruling the skies. It’s all a bit clunky and clumsy.
You upgrade your plane, add new weapons, fly some more missions, do the same. There’s never really any sense that you’re getting anywhere, or that you’re really the crack-shot pilot that the game tries to convince you you are. You’re fine, it’s fine, everything is basically fine.
Dakka Squadron isn’t a bad game, it’s just an average one. There are no thrills or spills, but no great frustrations either. It takes one of the craziest aspects of the 40K universe and manages to raise little more than a ‘meh’.
