Much has changed in the world of mobile fragging since Gameloft first unveiled their N.O.V.A. franchise back in 2009, as their obvious clone of Bungie’s Halo would go on to help prove that not only could touchscreen devices produce a decent first-person shooter, but they could host a pretty great one. With the release of N.O.V.A. 3 the ‘controversy’ over Gameloft’s process has all but disappeared, thank heavens, and now we have the third entry in a maturing franchise that can stand - or fall - on its own merits. With vastly improved visuals, upgraded online multiplayer, and a healthy dose of tweaks, Gameloft has trimmed the fat to make this the leanest, meanest, and most playable game in the franchise so far. It’s just a shame that, for all its achievements, so little effort was made in fixing the broken bits.

The plot follows grizzled and intergalactically (in)famous Kal Warden, who has found himself once again dragged into the never-ending Human vs. Volterite saga that’s recently escalated after the theft of a mysterious artifact. When gravely-voiced, bald-headed Judger Prometheus threatens to wipe both races from memory, Kal suits up and embarks on a generous 10-mission campaign that spans abandoned spaceships, sandy dunes, fire + ice caverns, and even the carcass of Old San Francisco to save the day. Indeed, early footage of this burned-out metropolis led many to speculate that the franchise finally shed its last Halo vestiges for bigger things - namely the charred cityscapes and nanosuit designs of Crysis 2. That’s not quite the case, as not long after the impressive initial city battle you’re whisked off to the more familiar galactic landscapes and scenarios that made previous games so reminiscent (that’s putting it lightly) of Bungie’s Halo.

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t expecting to be this impressed with a Gameloft shooter so soon after the sophistication of Modern Combat 3, which bridged the narrowing divide between ‘console’ and ‘mobile’ closer than ever before. But that’s just what N.O.V.A. 3 does visually - it’s an impressive leap as I’ve seen in any series, with a substantial visual upgrade that makes everything look so much bigger, fuller, and dynamically more impressive than ever before; it’s remarkable to look back at the franchise’s evolution since the first game and see just how far it’s come. Yes, there are occasional hiccups and the odd slowdown here and there, but it’s still remarkable that you’re playing something that looks this good on a mobile device at all.

Perhaps even more impressive than the visuals is the audio design, particularly the effects, which have always been a N.O.V.A. strongpoint, but are exceptionally great here. Weapons sound amazing, and practically everything you’ll see on screen has its own sound-effect helping bring it to life, an impressive feat by itself. Incredibly, even the copious voice-acting is handled well (not a series strongpoint, I might add), which help make Kal + company’s corny one-liners more palatable  this time around. I love hearing the grunts telegraphing their every move (“I’m shot”), with plenty of throaty death rattles, screams, and all the stuff that makes a game fun to listen to.

One area the game happily cuts back on its gimmicks; while the second game excised the silly morality choices of the original, the second rids itself of casual-style moments altogether. Gone are the pong-like switches and puzzles needed to open weapon caches, and doors readily open with the flick of a button and little else. This not only helps keep the action fast and furious, but a lot more fun and immersive.

Those familiar with previous N.O.V.A. or Modern Combat adventures will be immediately comfy with the controls, which remain the gold standard for touchscreen first-person shooters. There’s two virtual sticks for moving/aiming, virtual buttons for firing, running, jumping, as well as using Kal’s secondary weapons and telekinetic powers, with responsive swiping and quick-tapping in-place for swapping out weapons and said powers. They work well for plowing through endless baddies, manning vehicles (hello, giant mechs), remaining as endlessly customizable as ever. Auto-aiming (especially in sniper-mode) feels tighter, gyroscopic controls feel more useful, and satisfying headshots have never been easier to pull off. Apart from the odd unresponsive swap or swipe, this is probably as good as it’s ever going to get for mobile first-person shooters with touch controls.

As much as I’ve enjoyed the N.O.V.A. series, it’s hard to look past the moments that crop up that almost seem designed to remind you that you’re not playing a mega-budget blockbuster developed by teams larger than some countries. What’s most disappointing is that, three games in, it doesn’t appear like Gameloft is even interested in fixing the series’ most crushing flaws that continue to drag them down.

Invisible floors mean instant-death and forced resets when your character falls into the abyss, when you’re not getting caught between textures you mistakenly thought were passages. But the most frustrating non-change to the game’s design that can - and often does - completely ruin the experience is the way most battles require you to completely clear a room of every enemy to continue. Not that there’s anything wrong with this type of progression, but when matched with game-ruining glitches the results are nothing less than pure agony.

Some enemies sport AI so stupid they’ll hide behind walls - out of sight - forever, drop out of your range to lower levels, or magically become immune to all weapons but explosives. More than once my death in battle led me to replaying areas from a saved checkpoint, only to discover that the expected cluster of baddies weren’t available - meaning I couldn’t continue to the next level. Maddeningly, the game will even auto-save these glitched areas, forcing you to completely play through entire levels just to get back to the ruined spot, praying that you don’t accidentally repeat whatever you did last time and muck the whole thing up again.

While I’ve never been the biggest fan of mobile frag-fests, few games handle them better than N.O.V.A. has, and overall, it’s a decent upgrade from its predecessor, especially considering that many FPS live or die by their multiplayer offerings. For starters, the game now sports 12-player battles (up from N.O.V.A. 2’s 10 player cap), with all the modes you could ever want, including free-for-all, Capture the Flag, Team Deathmatch, and even a few long-awaited treats like manning giant mechs (finally) and jeeps for some truly destructive vehicular fun. There are multiple save slots to keep your customized load-outs at the ready, and Gameloft’s leveling system means you’ll have to log enough hours in both the campaign and online modes to see and experience everything, which helps keep online matches fair against those who’d rather pay for the best weapons through in-app purchases.

As plentiful as the options are, playing through matches is a wildly inconsistent experience, with your chances of joining a stable game seemingly based more on luck and chance than anything else. Matches will drop without notice, with lag so severe during some matches that you’ll see characters popping in/out all over the screen. It’s a shame really, as the level design and areas to explore have never been better, and when everything works the way it should N.O.V.A. 3’s online is actually pretty fun. Like the rest of the game’s most obvious bugs and glitches, let’s hope that Gameloft invests what’s necessary to clean them up.

N.O.V.A. 3 is easily the best-looking, best-playing, and most sophisticated chapter in Gameloft’s Halo inspired franchise, and for some fans that will be enough. It remains the most enjoyable mobile first-person shooter experience on touchscreen devices, one populated with so many features and options that you’ll definitely get your money’s worth. Yet, for all the efforts put into making this the slickest, most visually impressive game in the series yet, an appalling lack of effort went into fixing the most obvious game-breaking glitches, nearly all of which have been present since the original game. But if you’ve slogged through the previous games and are willing to put up with similar flaws and game-crushing glitches that occasionally force resets and test tempers, than by all means dive right in.