Illuminations is a fireworks show waiting to happen, and it’s all hidden in an arcade-style shooter. Accelerometer controlled, the controls are easily some of the best in terms of responsiveness and maneuverability. Shooting by tapping the left side and dropping bombs by tapping the right, you’ll find yourself zipping your ship up and down/right and left shooting a variety of enemies and having a blast while doing it.
The 3D background adds a nice element to the gameplay, but it’s the crowd excitement bar that requires your attention. Think of it as your health bar and as you hit more enemies, the crowd excitement bar elevates. Miss and your excitement bar falls, and fall too far, it’s game over. The game has a variety of powerups that provide weapons upgrades, bombs and even bonus points, and you’ll have plenty of opportunities to pick these up. A handy gauge in the right-hand corner serves as your weapons indicator, which recharges when you stop shooting. While intuitive, I suggest you take the time to get used to the accelerometer controls as well getting familiar with the different types of weapons upgrades.
The almost limitless levels only get tougher as you progress, while the sound effects add to the classic arcade feel. The gameplay will remind you of the old shooters of yesterday. The new freestyle mode isn't a shooter mode, but more of creating your own fireworks using touch. Among the best of the arcade shooters available at iTunes, Illuminations will bring you plenty of gameplay and replayability.