Review: Spb Air Islands. Save the Gravitator…Save The World

Posted by: dgoldring on Mar 23 2007

 

I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to begin this review.  Then, I spent a lot more time trying to figure out why this was such a difficult review for me to start.  Usually, writing the intro is the easiest and most enjoyable part of my reviews.  So, why was I having so much trouble introducing readers to SPB Air Islands?  It could be because it is such a vast game — including three full mini-games — that it is difficult to know where to begin.  It could also be the game itself, which is a singularly unique gaming experience.  Or it could just be that I was so wrapped up in playing the game, I forgot to write down any of my thoughts as I went along. 

Regardless, this is a review of SPB Air Islands, a strategy game in the tradition of Sim City, yet unlike any other games you may have played before.  Typically, a strategy game involves a battle or series of battles between you and an enemy, in which you must overtake your enemy, destroy your enemy, or conquer his lands.  Here, you are not trying to destroy.  There are no battles.  The point of SPB Air Islands is simply to save the world (…and no, fans of NBC’s Heroes, there is no perky cheerleader to save)– not conquer it, not destroy it, not even free it.  Just save it.

Installation and Registration: Download the SPB Air Islands desktop installation package, and install it via ActiveSync.  Once installed, in addition to the main Air Islands game, you will also receive three complete mini-games (ArkaBall, Xonix, and Bubbles).  You can play the entire package for a full 30-day trial, however, the trial of Air Islands will only allow you to play until you increase your rank to Level 1.

Story: The story of SPB Air Islands starts with a "Once Upon A Time…"  So, let’s go there now.  Once upon a time, there was a magic world in the sky.  Its citizens explored the magic world, settling down in new and uncharted territories as they expanded their territories.  At the center of this world was a magic castle built by, "The Ancients."

In addition to the magic castle, The Ancients also built an intricate structure of buildings called Gravitators.   The Gravitators maintained the integrity of the magic world, holding it together.  For centuries, the Gravitators held the world together and allowed for a stable environment in which the civilization which had grown around them could thrive.

Then, the unthinkable happened, one of the Gravitators malfunctioned and collapsed, causing earthquakes of unprecedented devastation.  Giant fissures ripped apart the land, fracturing it into hundreds of small, lifeless islands.  The only building left untouched was the castle built by The Ancients, and all of the new islands revolved around this central one.

Eventually, it was determined that the only way to repair the damage was to rebuild the Gravitators.  Hundreds of volunteers were recruited to undertake this enormous task, because until all of them are repaired, the entire  system will remain inoperable.  Your mission is to collect enough supplies and gold coins to repair the last Gravitator and bring unity back to this once magical world.

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Gameplay: SPB Air Islands is a truly unique game, in that it is a strategy game with no enemy (except the environment) and no battles.  In this regard, it most closely approximated a game like Sim City, but even that turns out to be a loose comparison, at best.  The game objectives and graphics are simply extraordinary, and really set Air Islands apart from other strategy games.  Additionally, unlike most strategy games which require constant interaction, Air Islands can be played with minimal interaction from the user, aside from monitoring the game and tweaking or gathering resources as needed.  While this makes the game intriquing for some — like a game of chess or logic — others can quickly become bored by the low level of user interaction needed to make the game progress. 

When the game begins, you will find yourself on a barren air island.  The only structure on the island is the remains of the destroyed Gravitator.  You must earn enough gold and resources to repair the Gravitator.  To do this, you must build houses and sheds.  This will allow you to increase your population of workers.  As you progress through the game, the available buildings will increase.  In addition to buildings, you can also add natural elements such as trees or lakes.  I was disappointed, however, that there is an extremely small number of buildings and natural elements to be added (eight in all) throughout the game.  I would have liked to have seen a larger variety of objects to be built on the island.

The main goal of the game is to obtain enough resources (primarily gold coins) to repair a portion of the Gravitator and advance to the next level.  Be careful, though.  You do have a limited amount of space on your island in which to build, and may find that you run out of room or have to destroy some structures in order to build a new one.

Graphics: The graphics in SPB Air Islands are simply breathtaking.  Although the game is limited to a single screen, it is incredibly complex, shifting through entire spectrums of days and nights.  Additionally, although the basic shape and location of your island is the same in every game, you control how your island develops by placing buildings, trees and lakes in various locations.  This ensures that every time you play the game, it will have a unique look and feel.

Building: Your primary interaction with the world of Air Islands is by developing your island.  Only by utilizing the resources on your island effectively can you rebuild your Gravitator.  To begin with, you need to recruit volunteers to help you.  This can be accomplished by building houses, which can be occupied by up to three people (more if you add an adjoining shed).   As you progress, you will also have the opportunity to build chapels, windmills and other buildings which affect the population and environment of your island.

In addition to your buildings, you can also add various natural elements (trees and lakes).  These will also help increase your productivity (fishing earns considerably more money than farming) and improves the environment of your island.

Once you have populated your island with vegetation, lakes and buildings (meaning people), you must also maintain your island.  Everything you construct will begin to decay and fall apart over time.  This will significantly decrease your productivity.  I found it was best to repair all of the buildings at once one time during each game day.  You may find, however, that another strategy works better for you.  I would be interested in hearing from our readers what strategies worked and what did not.

Mini Games: In order to build on the island, you must have resources.  Each action you take will cost some combination of gold coins, bricks, wood, or water.  Gold coins can be obtained only by populating the island and earning the money through farming, fishing, or other island vocations.  The other resources, however, may be earned in one of two ways.  First, you can trade for them in the island marketplace.  Any resource can be obtained through trade except gold coins.

Additionally, you can play one of three mini games — Bubbles, Xonix II, or ArkaBall II.  Bubbles will earn water, Xonix II will earn wood, and ArkaBall II will earn bricks.  Each of these games is based on a classic arcade style game, with which you are likely already familiar.  I have to admit that these mini games really made Air Islands considerably more enjoyable for me.  I frequently played them as standalone games in addition to gathering resources for the main game.

Bubbles is a simple color matching game.  Fire colored bubbles into the trees in order to match colors.  Connect three or more like-colored bubbles and they will pop.  The more bubbles you pop, the more points you will score, and the more water you will earn in Air Islands.

 

ArkaBall II is, obviously, a clone of the classic Arkanoid game.  Bounce the ball into the bricks to clear them from the screen.  You can use your paddle to direct the ball and keep it moving.  The more bricks you clear, the more bricks you will earn for Air Islands.

Xonix II is probably my favorite of the three mini games.  Your job here is to use a laser to slice a sheet of wood.  Standing in your way, however, are various balls, nails, and other enemies moving about the screen.  If any of them run into your laser beam while it is cutting (or into any part of the cut before it has been completed) then you will lose a life.  The more wood you cut, the more wood you will earn for Air Islands.

Island Attributes: In addition to your resources, there are three atributes which can affect how efficiently you earn gold coins on your island:  pollution, economy and happiness.

Pollution refers to the environment of the island.  The higher the pollution, the faster your buildings and other island objects will fall into disrepair.  Your pollution level is affected by the construction of buildings on your island, however, natural elements can work to decrease your pollution level. 

Economy refers to how efficiently the population of your island can earn income.  The higher your economy is rated, the more gold your population can earn.  Again, while certain buildings can increase your economy, others may have the opposite effect.

Happiness refers to the morale of your island population.  The happier your citizens are, the harder they will work, thus, the more gold they will earn (this is different from economy which allows your population to earn more gold for performing the same amount of work).  Typically, natural object such as trees and lakes will increase happiness, however, chapels have a significant effect on the morale of your population.

The attributes of your island work together to determine how efficiently and productively the residents of your island can work.  Additionally, some of these attributes may need to be within certain parameters before you can repair the next segment of your Gravitator.

Extras and Website: One of the really unusual things about SPB Air Islands are the extras which are included.  In addition to the mini games, you will also be able to utilize screen savers, and access the Air Islands website.  From the website, you can download wallpapers, themes, and join the Air Islands community and forums.  Additionally, you can enter to win a free copy of SPB FreeCell (a great game for another review) by completing Air Islands within 25 game days (I didn’t even come close).

Conclusion: SPB Air Islands reminds me a lot of baseball games in which you are the manager, rather than the players on the field.  Although you have no control or interaction with the players on the field, there are still dozens of strategic decisions for you to make and be involved with, for example whether to hit or bunt, what type of pitch to throw, the defensive alignment of the players, and even whether to substitute a player.  Similarly, although the population of your air island will work independently of your interaction, you must still make dozens of strategic decisions throughout each game day, whether to use your resources to build new construction or save them for Gravitator repairs, what type of building to construct, when should you repair your buildings. 

Nonetheless, because most of the strategy occurs internally, rather than through interaction with the game, many people have reported to me that they grew bored by the subtle nature of this game.  I am not sure this was the case for me, however, I did find at times I could watch it for hours at a time.  While I enjoyed watching time progress in my tiny island, this did make it feel much more like an interactive screen saver than a game at times.  Fortunately, the graphics and story are compelling enough to carry this game beyond any weaknesses in the gameplay or interaction with the game.  So, remember the key to this game: Save the Gravitator, Save the World.

Vital Statistics:

Name: SPB Air Islands

Version: 1.1

Platform: WM 2003 SE

Also Available: WM5

Developer: Spb Software House 

Available From: Spb Software House

                           JAMM Store

Price: $19.95

 

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