Terminal5 Pro

Summary

I don’t get to play games on my phone nearly as much as I used to. Having a full-time job has really taken a toll on me. Testing new games gives me the opportunity to enjoy new games while trying them out. I took a very thorough look at Terminal5 during my test. Find out if the game is worth your time in today’s test.

Terminal5 is a game that requires some legitimate brain power. The basic premise of the game is: you are in dangerous and eerie cell called Terminal5. The question is will you ever be able to find a way out of this compound?

In each level your aim is to reach the cell’s exit marked with a green cross. Your alter-ego is a small robber that you can control by viewing the playing field from above. For every level you have a certain amount of lives and moves available. With each move you can move into several different directions (straight, left, right, 180 degree turn). Your playing figure follows your exact directions once you’ve determined its trajectory.
On some fields, you’ll find elements that can influence your robber’s moves. More specifically, this means that when the game’s hero steps on one of these boxes he can pivot around his own axis or make the square move. So it’s important to keep your eye on these special squares when you are deciding to make your move.

The risky part is that if your move doesn’t work out according to plan, you have to start the whole thing over. You can check out information about each one of these elements while playing (check out screen & controls). Make sure to also watch out for potential enemies (e.g. lasers) and barriers (sharp spikes) or they could cost you dearly.

After you’ve completed a level, you can view detailed statistics about how you scored divided into the following categories:
Actions used
Rounds used
Health lost
Seconds needed
New Record (Yes/No)

The tutorial and the first couple of levels are easy to complete. As the game progresses the levels become gradually more and more challenging. Some of the levels are guaranteed to make your cranium boil with frustration. To get to the hard levels you’ll first have to complete all of the easy ones. According to the makers of Terminal 5, the next update is going to feature Levels Labs, which will drastically expand the number of levels available. This goes to show that Terminal5 is on its way to bigger and better things.

Bottom Line:
I really enjoyed the idea behind this game. In fact, I didn’t manage to finish all 24 levels despite my level of gaming expertise. If you’re into mind or logic games, you should get your hands on Terminal5. You can also try out the free lite version to see if it suits your tastes.

On the start screen of Terminal5 you can select between the tutorial, the actual game (campaign) or go to your Settings where you can adjust the language, sound effects and game speed.

In addition to the helpful tutorial that explains how the game works step by step, there are also additional tips and bits of advice scattered across the game. At the beginning of each level, you can see how many rounds and life points are available. There is also additional information that tells you, for example, what you have to do in order to get a medal.

These tips are very well integrated and help you understand how the game works even for those of you who aren’t avid Android gamers.

If that wasn’t good enough for, you can also access information by pressing the Menu button and going to Board Elements Help. Here you can found out more about the function of each element included in your level.

During the game, you have bird’s eye view of the playing field, but you can also flip the game board around by pressing the rotate button on your left.
On the Nexus One you can also use the trackball to move the playing field around. None of these perspectives are any better, so I would just stick to the overhead view.

You control your robber with the help of four buttons at the bottom of the screen. These buttons illustrate their movement with clear icons.
After you’ve selected a strategy for the robot to follow, press the check mark to start your move. It all works really well.

Bottom Line:

The game controls work really well. The tutorial and detailed game help are what make Terminal 5 really special.

Terminal5 ran smoothly on both the Nexus One and the Archos 70. 

Terminal5 can be downloaded from the Android Market for € 1.99