Game Review: Cannon Challenge, a classic artillery game goes touch

Artillery games are among the oldest genres in computer gaming. The original existed on the command-line before computers were capable of even simple graphics (Can you say old-school?). In 1980 the first graphical incarnation of the game, aptly called Artillery, was released for the Apple ][. For the first time, players were able to see their projectiles' arc, speed and eventual landing. This planted the seed for many games to come and wasted many hours of otherwise productive computer geeks.

Like most addictive time-wasters, gameplay in Cannon Challenge is simple. Two shooters (usually tanks) are placed on opposite ends of a hilly battlefield, each one controlled by a competing player. The players take turns adjusting the barrel angle and trajectory of their shooter then fires a shot. The first player to land a shot and destroy the other shooter wins. It's the thinking person's Battleship.

The more popular variations like Scorched Earth and Worms added more weapons, power ups and eventually went 3D. But Cannon Challenge is faithful to its origins. And that's not a bad thing.

From the App Store's description of Cannon Challenge:

Take charge of your own Non-Line-Of-Site (NLOS) Cannon, the revolutionary gun that represents the future of U.S. field artillery. Use simulated elevation and velocity controls to destroy enemy targets with indirect fire.

Controls
As the description states, there are 2 adjustments to make before firing: elevation (barrel angle) and velocity (force and resulting speed). Both adjustments are made by rolling virtual analog dials up or down on opposite sides of the screen; elevation on the left and velocity on the right. A single tap on the fire button near the center of the screen executes the shot. The controls are remarkably intuitive and fine-tuning is visualized better by corresponding number values on the same side of the screen as the controls they represent.

Look & Feel
The graphics are fairly well done and succeed in putting the player in the setting of a typical artillery run. The landscapes have dramatic peaks and valleys that serve very well as the game's battlefield. The skies, ranging from clear blue to cloudy orange, are an especially nice touch and help create the mood of each round.

The cannon itself looks like a modern artillery unit with tank treads. It looks decent enough but it's the sound of the cannon that sets it apart from lesser attempts at this genre. The initial explosion and whistling of the projectile reigning down from the sky are excitingly convincing. Most importantly, the loud bang of the projectile crashing on a target coupled with plumes of smoke make for extremely rewarding feedback.

The game's main weakness are the targets. Some can be easily overlooked because they blend in with the background too much. This is partly because it's difficult to tell what exactly the targets are. Some seem like buildings straight out of Tatooine while others look like generic alien radar towers; strange extraterrestrial targets for an otherwise earthly simulation.

Overlooking targets can be a real problem because the 15-shot limit per round means planning is essential. Not seeing a fifth target tucked away in a ravine opposite a far-off peak before most shots are fired can be fatal. Running out of shots before taking out all the targets means game over.

Each game takes you through 15 challenging rounds. Best of all, each game randomizes the terrain order and target placement so replay-ability is high. It's also worth noting that this is a single player game. There is no computer opponent that fires back, only dumb targets.

This is by far the best free game we've played for the iPhone or iPod touch. It's also more fun than a lot of the gimmicky touch games we've paid for. It's a classic that has great graphics, terrific sound and intuitive gameplay. Highly recommended.

• Cannon Challenge [App Store]
• Also check out the web-based flash version. It’s the same game although the intuitive touch controls make the App much more fun to play.

 

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