Let me talk about the conclusion first: If you have played the first generation, the second generation just brings the old feel intact and adds a bunch of new tricks. I briefly compared it with "Fire Line Assault", "Violent Gun God" on the same platform, and "Counter-Strike OL" transplanted from the PC, and found that this game really has its own little stubbornness.
Graphics/Operations: To be honest, the graphics of this small-scale shooting game are all half-baked and pixelated, but the camera shake and headshot special effects of "Crossing the Line of Defense" are particularly good. The feeling of frustration when the bullet hits the enemy is much better than that of "Violent Gun God". At least I didn't feel distracted after playing three levels in a row. The operation perfectly inherits the virtual dual joysticks of the first generation. The left hand moves and the right hand aims. The position of the gun cutting button is just on the arc of the thumb. It is much more comfortable than the "keys squeezed into a lump" design of similar games.
Game play/mode: The gap comes out here. Other games are basically just rushes to clear levels. "Crossing the Defense Line" adds weapon inlays and golden weapon transformations - to be honest, these two systems sound like krypton gold routines, but in actual play they are more like fun for veteran players. Weapon embedding is equivalent to inserting gems into the gun, adding critical hits and penetration, which can be regarded as a light development. The golden weapon transformation is a bit interesting. After accumulating enough energy, the gun body will turn into gold, the damage will be doubled and it will have a penetration effect. The burst when fighting the BOSS is particularly relaxing.
In addition to conventional battles and sniper battles, the new modes of rescuing hostages and holding on to the gate are not innovative, but it is difficult to control the rhythm. Rescuing hostages is not about rushing up and pressing the button. The enemy will sneak around from the flanks and steal you, forcing you to reload and move. Holding on to the pass takes the advantage of the terrain to its limit - you set up a bunker and enemies rush in waves, with self-destruction soldiers mixed in. It feels much more exciting than simply shooting targets.
Compared with the simple pile of monsters in "Fire Line Assault", the BOSS battle in this game can be called "designed". I remember the heavily armored soldier in the third theater. The weak point was the fuel tank on the back, but the frontal firepower was so frightening that he had to circle the boiler room to follow him around the pillars of King Qin. This kind of mechanism design is rare among similar mobile games.
Krypton Gold/Paid: This game is marked with the charging mode "0", which means free download and pure in-app purchase. I observed that the in-app purchases are mainly for buying guns and strengthening materials, but the boxes picked up in the levels can also produce the same type of fragments, but the efficiency is slower. Compared with a certain "free game" that gets stuck without recharging money, "Crossing the Line of Defense" can at least penetrate the normal difficulty level without any problem. The gold weapon transformation can also accumulate energy by killing, and it is not a paywall that requires money.
Social/Others: Unfortunately, this game does not have online cooperation and is purely a single player. Although the rankings can be based on the scores of friends, compared with the fun of teaming up and playing against each other in "Counter-Strike OL", it is still a bit less interesting. However, the advantage of single player is that you can pause whenever you want, and you don't have to worry about cheating your teammates when playing on the subway.
Overall review: If you are looking for hardcore competition and multiplayer battles, this game is not for you. But if you are looking for a stand-alone shooting game that can be played on your mobile phone at any time, with a refreshing feel and some strategic depth, then "Crossing the Line" is definitely among the top three games of the same size. Half a star is deducted for the screen, and one star is deducted for not having online connections. However, the operation and level design are really extra points, and the final score is 8.6. Recommended for first-generation veteran players and those who love to grind through single-player levels. 🎯