Call of Mini: Dino Hunter

Call of Mini: Dino Hunter is an absolute breath of fresh air and an adventure that may compel you to stay glued to your iOS device for hours. Visually enticing, this adventure could have been a one-dimensional shooter and survive on its beauty alone. With inspired gameplay and a richly-detailed world to boot, this dinosaur tale isn't headed for extinction anytime soon.

Although there are other characters to unlock throughout the journey, Call of Mini: Dino Hunter initially centers on Waren, a young man bent on killing as many dinosaurs after losing his family to these unforgiving creatures. A healthy amount of killing is needed to survive each level and players can easily switch out their weapons during the fight. Don't expect a mindless shoot 'em up with Call of Mini: Dino Hunter, since strategy is extremely important for your survival. Shooting a crossbow may help you take out the first wave of monsters, but liberally using your ammunition is a foolish move, especially if you have bigger dinosaurs waiting to snap you up.

With each stage, you receive experience points, gold, and select items which could be used to create different weapons. Leveling up grants your character more hit points, which is definitely needed in your showdowns with the main dinosaurs. When you can't pass a certain stage due to the quality of your weaponry, simply return to earlier parts of the game and rack up more social and financial currency. When you return a stronger man, hopefully you will have saved enough money for a rifle to hunt down the blue "terrordactyl" and his minions.

The blue icon on the lower left section of your device is used for mobility, with the red button used for firing your gun or engaging the enemy with another weapon. Since there is 360-degree movement, your hunter can attack or evade the enemy from different directions. On the flip side, creatures can come at you from anywhere, and quickly spinning around to see if the coast is clear is really not possible. Half of the damage I sustain originates from a sneak attack from the back, and this lack of a control feature is my only minor complaint. When a game offers kick-ass boss intro sequences before each stage, what's not to love?

The main menu is one of the more overlooked elements of a game, and in Call of Mini: Dino Hunter, it's dubbed as "the village." Each section of the area has its own special function, and if you want to navigate your way around the village, just swipe a finger to the left or right. Most menus are simply static, an afterthought to the actual game play, and it's wonderful to see creativity in an unexpected place.

Call of Mini: Dino Hunter hits all the right notes, giving players an intriguing and entertaining gameplay experience. For just $0.99, it's a virtual steal thanks to its surprising depth of content. And since this whole zombie craze is getting a tad overexposed, it's time to pay a bit more attention to T-Rex.

8.0 out of 10 arcade sushi rating