Apple Arcade review #108: Decoherence

Decoherence is a mix between twin-stick shooter, tactical arena fighter, and strategy game. It’s mechanically complex and challenging, and difficult to play on a small screen. The text and icons are minuscule, and the controls require tiny fingers and pinpoint accuracy. Your little soldier and her various bots are also incredibly small. It’s hard to form any attachment to them, or with any of the enemies, when they’re barely visible. Worst of all, trying to read the descriptive text for any of the units require holding the phone right up to your face.

I don’t think Decoherence works on the phone. On the iPad the controls become unwieldy; the larger device can’t easily be held by the edges with your thumbs on the two sticks. The only way to properly play this game is on a big screen with a controller, and at that point other flaws become obvious. Blown up to TV size, the game becomes visually noisy and unattractive, and the hardware controls don’t feel well designed.

My biggest issue is that I don’t understand Decoherence. I didn’t understand it, it was hard to play, hard to decipher, difficult to control and I didn’t feel any incentive to stick with it.

Link: https://apps.apple.com/no/app/decoherence/id1469225525