Halflight is a fun freeware space shooter starring furry animals. It's not revolutionary by any means, but it does offer one thing that most shooters ignore: a plot. And an interesting one at that. Those who have played (and loved) Solar Winds will be right at home with Heartlight. So what's the story? Well, in the future mankind has ventured far into the depths of space, colonizing entire worlds. In time, mankind splits into two different races, the furry Jvarans, and the Gn'rthan. With each species believing their religion is the one true faith, a war between the Jvarans and Gn'rthans flares up. It's here where you begin the game, taking on the persona of Captain Kvor Arrlson, a wolf pilot, who fights on the side of the Jvarans in the hope of dealing a crippling blow to the Gn'rthans. Each level in the game (six in total) gives you a different assignment, although it generally involves destroying a key Gn'rthan piece of equipment. The game graphics are primitive by any standard, but it delivers with many special effects and lead-ins, as well as fun plot developments that you are informed about by lion-morph General Kveld. Similar to Solar Winds, your mission objectives may change mid-level, and surprises are well thought out. The game itself plays well, with good control and a decent variety of power-ups. Although the game looks okay and plays good, there is a few quirks that prevent it from ranking among the best shooters (aside from bland graphics, that is). Collision with enemy ships means instant death, even though your ship has an energy gauge for absorbing shots. Enemies sometimes attack during the radio talk between you and the general, and the warning message about their appearance obscures the plot-related ones. These two nitpicks aside, HalfLight is a very entertaining shooter that action fans- - especially casual gamers -- should definitely take a look. Thumbs up! Reviewed by: Underdogs |