Star Wars: Battle Above Coruscant lets you play as Episode III's Anakin, at the height of his Force sensitivity and moral conflict. Jedi abilities often bolster real-world skills, and for the Skywalkers, this means piloting. Coruscant is largely a conventional and technically unimpressive vertical shooter, but some of its levels are more inventive than the mobile norm.
Coruscant's controls are simple. Using the navigation pad, you can move and shoot, and the latter function can be automated. Fallen enemy vehicles will proffer up power-ups in the form of weapon upgrades, shield charges, and energy packs for R2D2, the real hero of Star Wars. Our robotic hero is only really useful in the game's fifth and most engaging mission, in which he must remove drill droids from the exterior of Anakin and Obi-Wan's fighter ships.
Unfortunately, your fighter is only equipped with dual blasters, and he doesn't pack any photon torpedoes. Your main weaponry is your only resort, even as you work to dodge homing missiles. It is possible, however, to lure a missile around an enemy craft, which may inadvertently interpose itself between you and the pursuing weaponry, thereby eliminating both threats. This makes for interesting and strategic gameplay, even if it's not clear from whence these missiles are being fired.
Most of the time, though, you'll be concerning yourself with not taking hits. Returning fire is preferable, as well. In one level, failure to destroy a cruiser on the first run will necessitate a second round of fire, during which you'll have to dodge a barrage of missiles.
Coruscant's action isn't much to look at on the lower-end Motorola V551. Apart from occasional moments of slowdown, the game moves at a fairly consistent frame rate, but its ships and weapon fire look fairly bland. Visually, this game is about on par with the mobile version of Xevious.
Sound is another story entirely. A considerable section of John William's defining musical score is present, albeit in MIDI form. Its inclusion adds immeasurably to the game.
Battle Above Coruscant isn't revolutionary by any means, but it's a competent vertically scrolling shooter with decent level design and game length. An oppressively difficult Jedi mode adds further replay value and makes this game a worthwhile purchase for Star Wars and arcade space shooter fans.
