Galaxy on Fire

Galaxy on Fire
Developer(s) Fishlabs
Publisher(s) Fishlabs
Platform(s) iOS, Android, Mac, BlackBerry, Java, MeeGo, Symbian^3, Zeebo, Windows PC
Release date(s) 2006 (GOF) , 2009 (GOF2)
Genre(s) Space flight simulator game
Mode(s) Single player
Distribution Digital, Physical

Galaxy on Fire is an award-winning series of 3D space trading and combat simulation video games by Hamburg/Germany-based mobile games developer Fishlabs. The series consists of Galaxy on Fire 3D and Galaxy on Fire 2, the latter having two add-ons: Valkyrie and Supernova.

There are a number of different portings and versions of the game available, the most important of which are Galaxy on Fire 2 HD for iPhone, iPad, Galaxy on Fire 2 for older iOS devices, Galaxy on Fire 2 Full HD for Mac and Windows PC, Galaxy on Fire 2 THD for Tegra2 devices, and Galaxy on Fire 2 for the Xperia PLAY. In addition to the versions already in existence, Fishlabs Entertainment has also announced that they will not only port their game to other platforms and systems, such as additional Android devices, in the future, but also produce additional add-ons, spin-offs, and sequels.

As of November 22, 2012, the original SD-version of Galaxy on Fire 2 has gone free on the App Store for good.

Plot

Story-wise, Galaxy on Fire takes place in a fictional galaxy ruled by four major factions (the pioneering Terrans, the conservative Nivelians, the defiant Midorians and the belligerent Vossk) and centers around Keith T. Maxwell, a former Wing Commander of the Terran Space Fleet, who now earns his credits as a gun-for-hire and ends up saving the universe from demise and destruction more than once. Fans and media alike have often complimented the immense freedom of action, which Galaxy on Fire grants the player due to its well-balanced mix of storybound-, missionbound- and sandbox gameplay. At any point throughout the game, the player can digress from the main story and go on an adventure of his own. While doing so, he can freely decide whether he would like to earn his credits as a pirate hunter, hit man, mercenary, craftsman, transporter, trader, weapons dealer or smuggler, just to name a few.

Galaxy on Fire 3D

At the beginning his first adventure, Keith T. Maxwell joins the Terran Space Fleet as a mercenary and quickly emerges to become a key figure in the hard-fought war against the Vossk, an aggressive race of insectoid aliens, whose long-lasting feud with the Terrans is far from being settled. During his service under the honourable Admiral Smith, Keith makes the acquaintance of and falls in love with the charming lieutenant Christine Hammond. But in a galaxy torn apart by turmoil and deceit, tragedy and romance are two sides of the same coin and hence the Vossk, as well as a number of other dubious characters such as the devious space criminal Vlad Borsikov, try everything in their might to make life as hard as they can for the two intergalactic love birds…

Galaxy on Fire 2

Taking place 35 years after the first installment of the series, Galaxy on Fire 2 has an even bigger adventure in store for Keith T. Maxwell than its predecessor. Time travelling to the far end of the known galaxy by a malfunction of his hyperdrive, the reckless fighter pilot soon finds himself in mine station, headed by Gunant Breh. The mining station is in the orbit of Var Hastra, a planet in a star system he has never heard of. Soon, he learns that he has missed quite a lot... not only has a new faction, the freethinking Mido Confederation founded by Nivellian and Terran runaways and rebels, emerged in the meantime, but also has a new threat started to wreak havoc among all inhabitants of the universe. Coming out of nowhere and launching devastating raids on convoys and freight ships of all factions, the mysterious Voids are about to make the whole galaxy tremble with fear and put the unstable peace among the different alien races to the test. With the help of the clandestine Deep Science society, an equally secretive and progressive union of ingenious scientists led by the beautiful Dr. Carla Paolini, Keith turns against the seemingly unstoppable alien menace and ultimately sets out to face the Voids in their own home world and end their reign of terror once and for all. During this advanture Keith meets his other old comrades, and also has the potential to have his own space station, in the orbit of Planet Kaamo.

Galaxy on Fire 2 - Valkyrie

After fighting off the Voids threat, Keith T. Maxwell has once more taken on his work as a mercenary and pirate hunter at the beginning of Valkyrie, the first add-on for Galaxy on Fire 2. Seemingly out of nothing he is contacted by the shady weapons dealer Alice, for whom he ends up risking his life in a number of dangerous, but all the more lucrative, missions. Not knowing that Alice and Carla were related, Keith worked for Alice for quite a while whilst dating with Carla. However, when he receives a distress call from his love interest and former superior Dr. Carla Paolini, who reports one of her leading scientists, Khador missing, Keith quickly returns to the secretive Deep Science station and investigates the disappearance of the grumpy but indispensable intellectual. And the deeper he digs into the affair, the more it becomes obvious that Alice has quite a few skeletons buried in her closet and that doing business with her will lead to his demise sooner than he might have thought. Alice planned the kidnap, for she knew that the kidnap can lead to the knowledge of the Khador Drive blueprint, which can be sold to make a lot of money.

Galaxy on Fire 2 - Supernova

While the Nivelian Republic and the Mido Confederation continue their brawl, a devastating supernova is threatening the existence of vast parts of the Mido sector, putting our hero, Keith T. Maxwell, in a very difficult situation. It appears to be no chance of escape in time for the inhabitants of the troubled area and Keith and the Deep Science society seem to be unable to evacuate them all unless they will get support from Nivelians. It's up to him to convince them to save the life of their foes as well as to fight against the resistance of a mysterious fighter squadron of Stealth ships who try to prevent the rescuing of the Midorians. Trunt Harval, the Nivelian mastermind behind this mystery denied all relations of him to the Stealth ship squadrons, until Keith saved the Midorians and uncovered a horrible truth...

Galaxy on Fire: Alliances

Galaxy on Fire Alliances[1] is a massive multiplayer strategy game, set in a new region of space of the Galaxy on Fire universe, referred to as the Shroud Nebula. Players build and manage facilities and fleets on planets among thousands of planetary systems in a real time strategy setting. Interactions with other players are via in game messaging systems, interactions through ship movements and attacks on each other as well as the formation of alliances that are made among players creating factions in which the game is centered around. It is a free-to-play, resource based real-time-strategy game.

Reception

Media reception for all installments of the Galaxy on Fire series has been widely positive over the years. In September 2006, Pocket Gamer gave the original Galaxy on Fire 3D a 9-out-of-10 rating and a Gold Award and came to the conclusion that this game ”[will] change the way you think about mobile phone games forever.”[2] In October 2010, 148Apps.com shelled out 4.5 out of 5 stars for Galaxy on Fire 2 and said that “there really isn’t a more complete space game in the App Store.”[3] And in April 2011, TouchGen awarded Galaxy on Fire 2 - Valkyrie with 4.5 stars out of 5 and an Editor’s Choice award, saying that “Valkyrie is a great add-on to complement an already stellar game. And fans of the original would be mad to miss it.”[4] In 2011, Galaxy on Fire 2 won the German Computer Game Award in the category “Best Mobile Game”.[5]

Different Portings and Versions

Galaxy on Fire 3D

Galaxy on Fire 2

Galaxy on Fire 2 - Valkyrie

Galaxy on Fire 2 - Supernova

Galaxy on Fire - Alliances

References

  1. ↑ http://www.fishlabs.net/
  2. ↑ "Review: Galaxy on Fire 3D at Pocket Gamer". Pocket Gamer. Retrieved 2012-01-19.
  3. ↑ "Review: Galaxy on Fire 2 at 148 Apps". 148 Apps. Retrieved 2012-01-19.
  4. ↑ "Review: Galaxy on Fire 2 - Valkyrie at TouchGen". TouchGen. Retrieved 2012-01-19.
  5. ↑ "Galaxy on Fire 2 announced "Best Mobile Game" at the German Computer Game Awards 2011". German Computer Game Award. Retrieved 2012-01-19.

External links