Pacific Wings (Xbox One, 2019 | XBLIG, 2012)

Pacific Wings
Developed/Published by Sprakelsoft GmbH
Released for Xbox One (6/25/2019) | Xbox Live Indie Games (8/2/2012)
Also on Android/iOS/PS4/Switch

Pacific Wings is a rather blatant clone of the old Capcom arcade classic 1942. The player flies an American P-38 blasting down waves of Japanese planes, exactly like the old arcade classic. Looking at screenshots or footage of the game shows some promise, with pixel-graphics that invoke a nice retro vibe. Here we'll take a look at the trial for Pacific Wings on the Xbox One and see how it holds up when compared to the original that inspired it or if it's even worth playing at all.

Pill Mania HD (Xbox One, 2018)

Pill Mania HD
Developed by Sprakelsoft
Released for Xbox One (3/2018)
Also on iOS

Pill Mania HD is a port of a mobile game released way back in 2013, and to be quite frank that's exactly what it feels like. The game comes from Sprakelsoft, the same folks who brought us the underwhelming Croc's World. The game is a blatant Dr. Mario rip-off, to the point Nintendo might be able to take legal action should they choose to do so. Just being a rip-off alone doesn't make a game bad, but unfortunately Pill Mania HD just doesn't measure up to the game it mimics.

Croc's World - Xbox Edition (Xbox One, 2017 | XBLIG, 2014)

Croc's World (Xbox-Edition)
Developed by Sprakelsoft
Released for Xbox One (10/2017) | Xbox Live Indie Games (5/17/2014)
Also on iOS/PC

Croc's World (Xbox-Edition) is a release for the somewhat obscure section on the Xbox One's game store called the Creators Collection. This was originally released for the iOS and the Xbox 360 indie games store, but according the developer this version adds two new worlds with thirty additional levels. I am unable to confirm if this is true as the free version they have up for download only lets you play two levels and then promptly asks the player to pay $1.99 to continue on. Before I get into why I had no desire to pay the fee, let's quickly talk about the gameplay.