Bill Killem

This 2D shooter/app game offers retro fun – but not much more

Bill Killem
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Publisher: Chillingo
Reviewed On: iPhone
Cert: 16
Available On: iPhone,iPad

It's somewhat ironic when new technology is fuelled by nostalgia. Where would app games be without tributes to the culture and games of the 1980s and '90s? For a start, we almost certainly wouldn't have Bill Killem, a funny, intuitive and simple app. Resembling a 16-bit Amiga game, it's a side scrolling, 2D platform shooter. Sprint from left to right, shoot enemies, collect clocks (the game is timed), accumulate nifty weapons and avoid lethal architecture. Bill's enemies are mostly aliens, lasers firing down from the sky and buzzsaws emerging from the ground. The graphics are cute and blocky, and the lead character knows how to work an eyepatch and moustache. (You can also customise his appearance.) It's a free to play app with the inevitable micro-transactions for upgrades, though, in fairness, coins collected in the game can be spent as well. Bill Killem is not much more than a playable, funny, nostalgic distraction, but sometimes that's more than enough. chillingo.com