Perhaps you’re like me and you wasted (or spent wisely) hours and hours of your youth playing Escape Velocity and its various sequels on an early Mac. If you are in that group, than the Galaxy on Fire series is probably no stranger, either. And if neither of these games sounds familiar, then I’ve got good news – there’s still time, and the new Galaxy on Fire 3 – Manticore is a good place to start.
The third true sequel in the series (there was a more multiplayer oriented iteration) is like its predecessors, in that it focuses on you flying around space, trading goods, taking missions and shooting down other pilots in a quest to fulfill the game’s plot, yes, but also to build your rep as an intergalactic badass. There are loads of ships to buy, upgrades to acquire, and systems to explore, and it’s also all doing this on iOS with gorgeous new graphics that look terrific on your iPhone or iPad’s high density screen.
GoF 3 has a free-to-play, in-app purchase supported model, which isn’t my favorite thing in the world, but it’s not terribly annoying and you still get the pleasure of wandering a wide open tussling with the locals. Check out a look at how it plays below, but since it’s also free, if you’re curious there’s no reason not to get started and take a test drive. Android fans, you’ll have to wait until early 2017 to get on board.