Mobile gaming is no longer confined to simple puzzle solving and preventing reptiles from hitting the sides of a monochrome display. The new age of smartphones has brought about mobile gaming that is immersive and with graphics that’s just as good as those in portable gaming consoles in tow. You can play intricate arcade, player vs player (PvP), and even gaming community favorite, first-person-shooter (FPS) games anytime boredom strikes you. One interesting sniper game to come out exclusively on mobile is Lonewolf. Reading the title alone is enough to pique interest, but playing the game is altogether a different ballgame.
This neo-noir style game begins with a foreword “the lion or the tiger may be more powerful, but the wolf does not perform in a circus.” It then cuts to a frame showing a mysterious man sitting alone in a room, gun in hand and a phone ringing by him. He puts on a mask and takes players on a wild journey.
Before getting to the heart of the action, the thrilling narrative begins with the masked protagonist meeting a man named Midman. Having been endorsed by Emile—a former co-veteran of war—to the criminal organization named Assembly, the male lead engages in a conversation with Midman. He asks the whereabouts of Mando, the leader of the criminal group, but Midman dodges the query and questions the lead’s concealed façade and motive for killing instead.
To prove that he is the man for the job, the game protagonist accepts a quick assassination task—which launches the player into game mode. His unsoiled job impresses Midman, though he’s still apprehensive about having this cold-blooded killer officially enter the Assembly. This doubt incites the protagonist to kill a prominent enemy of the Assembly, lawyer Richard Carter; sending a message, loud and clear, that he’s not out to play. The intense series of events lead the player to take on a dark journey as the lone, badass hitman, Lonewolf.
Gameplay
The game’s setup and controls are more or less similar to other fps games, which also display the game area through the player’s rifle scope. What makes Lonewolf extra realistic are the recoils that make aiming after failed shots challenging, the player’s slow breathing when the aim is close to being locked on a target, realistic gunshot sounds, and classic FPS gore.
Lonewolf, unlike other FPS games where you just shoot haphazardly from the get-go, teaches players a thing or two on sniping, such as how distance affects the bullet’s trajectory and where to aim when uncontrolled elements such as wind enter the situation. The game offers different types of rifle scopes, rifles, handguns, and accessories to allow you to shoot better. All these can be availed through the in-game currency, which you earn as you accomplish missions—accuracy and headshots give you higher credit—and through watching ads—one available every five hours.
If you fail a mission, you can replay it. Though all skilled sniper, your character is not invincible. You fail a mission when your health depletes, get find out by enemy troops, fail to shoot a target, among others. Do note that you are only given 10 ammo—in other titles, energy—to consume. When it hits zero, you’d have to wait for a few minutes before it refills. For PHP 100, you can switch to premium mode which gives you 25,000 in-game credit, all content, unlimited ammo, and a game without pesky ads.
Shooting and aiming are done by simple swiping to the left and right and tapping the zoom and trigger button. There is a skip button for stories when repeating missions. If you feel like you did an unsatisfactory job in some missions, you can replay by tapping the missions tab which segments them by chapter.
Every chapter reveals bits of Lonewolf’s past—how he turned into an assassin, and the dirty operation of underground syndicates. The game features up to five hours worth of immersive storytelling along with interesting side quests to sharpen players’ in-game skills and earn credit. Lonewolf engages players by, little by little, making them feel like they’re filling the shoes of this lone hitman.
Also published in GADGETS MAGAZINE October 2017 Issue
Words by Mia Carisse Barrientos
Developer: FDG Mobile Games | Platforms: Android and iOS (Free-to-Play)