Pocket Planes By Mobage [Game Review]

In this post, I will review a game by Mobage: Pocket Planes. Mobage also developed Tiny Towers, which I will review in a later post.

Like many other games, this game is about doing business and expanding it. Players manage their airlines or their towers, and make money to further expand the business. However, they will also notice that the games are simple and that it is nearly impossible to wind up the business

In general, the pixel art makes the graphics look pleasant and novel, yet lending greater scope of customisation to the player. Players can customise the colour and names of every single thing, which is lovely for organising one's items. What really impressed me was how the pixels were also used to represent pearl necklaces or earrings which can then further customise the characters. This was quite creative.

Left: Pocket Planes, Right: Tiny Tower

Pocket Planes 
What else can this game be about besides buying planes, acquiring parts and airports, and flying them on routes? You will start off with a screen indicating the continent where you want to start the game. For example, I chose Europe to help me to remember where its major cities are, whereas the example below (taken from Google Play) shows America.

The screen below shows a plan enroute to New York. The plan carries both cargo and passengers. You can customise the pilot's clothes and the colour of the plane. Use the arrows to toggle between your different aircrafts.

And you will never experience birds or turbulence... or crying babies.

I'm pretty sure New York doesn't look like this, though. 

At the airport, you can choose what to load on your plane. Certain planes can only load cargo, other planes for passengers and some can handle both jobs. Sometimes it is more profitable to select jobs that pay less, especially if they are heading in the same direction- you get a percentage bonus.

Anne Price is not cargo and is also not on sale, unlike what her name suggests.

You will not need to deal with weather conditions, unless the airport is inaccessible- in which case, you simply select a different route to take. Map your routes by tapping on the airports, but note the amount of profit you will make. Sometimes selecting a different route earns you more money.

Note that the population size is listed below- the bigger the crowd the more expensive buying the airport will be.

No airline is complete without the ability to make or customise your own planes. Mobage uses 'bucks' to achieve this. Bucks are harder to get compared to the golden coins which you earn from flying your planes... You can think of it this way: bucks are generally used to cover your overheads (fixed costs, such as buying the plane) as well as make desirable upgrades to the plane (e.g. reducing weight or increasing fuel capacity to increase profitability), and coins are used for variable costs like expanding the business.

In real life, the prices come with a few zeroes behind.

That's all for the game play, and I'll leave you to discover the rest of the gems. Hint: Check the 'BitBook' for amusing posts by the pixel characters.

Play this game if 

• You enjoy playing games related to running a business. 
• You like cute graphics when playing games. 
• You have always dreamt of owning your own airline. 
• You love to travel and you are delighted to fly virtual planes to various cities.
• You do not mind getting consistent notifications on your phone telling you that your planes have landed every 10 minutes.

Do not play it if 

• You hate games that take up too much of your time. 

Check out my review of Tiny Tower here.