Warbirds at Work was developed and published by Kaape. It was released on Xbox Live December 23, 2010 for 80 MSP.

Warbirds at work is a classic style overhead arcade shooter. Trying to follow in the footsteps of it’s predecessors like Raiden or 1942, you are a small ship trying to protect the earth from invaders. In this case you happen to be the last line of defense against a group of aliens. Equipped with a temporary shield, upgradeable gun, rockets, impulse gun, and bombs it is your job to blast everything back to outer space.

Here’s what we liked:

Weapons – One of the most important things in a game like this is variety in weaponry and how each one effects the enemies. Warbirds at Work is no exception with four different types of weapons off the top and the primary weapon being upgradeable; players constantly have several options as how to disperse the evil aliens.

Enemies – With a large variety of enemies players will constantly have to be on their toes to avoid death. Each enemy has its own unique way to move and attack which requires constant change up to tactics in order to survive.

Backgrounds – Each level has a background unique to that specific level. This is a nice thing as it constantly keeps things feeling fresh and new. It also helps distinguish one level from the next.

Here’s what we didn’t like:

Coloring – While there are a variety of power ups and enemies it can get difficult to distinguish one thing from another. The powerups blend in with enemy bullets and many times the background itself. This can make them almost impossible to locate or use, which can prove frustrating.

Death – Dying is a natural part of most video games. However in Warbirds at Work death seems to come from nowhere. Players never quite know how or why they die time after time. Sometimes the ship’s shield can blaze right through enemy fire yet other times it seems that the shield and life deplete instantly for no reason.

Boss fights – Boss fights are a loose term here. At the end of a level a small group of enemies cluster together and repeat a path that requires the player to destroy all of them to move on. This is by no means a boss fight. Another issue with these moments is the giant warning text that flashes on the screen while enemies spawn in a random group; many times these enemies are hidden by the on-screen warning or spawn directly underneath the player.

No co-op – With games like these one of the best things has always been two player action. Unfortunately Warbirds at Work has nothing of the sort. It’s a shame as it would added a whole second layer of replay value to the game.

With so many ups and downs to this game it is hard to say where it stands in the crowd. Although this genre is sadly overlooked and forgotten now a days it is nice to see some developers still trying to make new titles. This is a game that indie lovers should try out, but it’s not something that will appeal to everyone.

Score: Try it