Unit 13 is a third-person shooter from Zipper Interactive, and just by hearing the developer’s name, you can probably guess how the game will look like. Yep, the visual style is a lot like SOCOM 4, and I have to say, I really enjoyed playing this game on the PS Vita. The portable’s dual analogue sticks come to good use here, and they’re quite responsive once you crank up the sensitivity from the options menu.

There is no story mode here, it’s purely a pick-up-and-play game. Yes, there are 36 missions available to you, and several special missions where you eliminate a high value target. So, when you combine so many missions, along with the online mode, and the daily challenges, there is a lot of content here at your disposal. It’s satisfying to play, gorgeous to look at on the Vita, and is wonderfully designed.

Now, before you get disappointed at the fact that there is no proper story mode, you have to realize that it’s not really Zipper’s strength. In fact, none of the games they’ve released so far featured any sort of proper story mode, even SOCOM 4. This is a perfect setup on a portable device, and works wonders when you just want to have that quick game, and you can use variety of playstyles to complete a mission.

There is an in-depth scoring system, and whatever you do – complete objectives, kill people, gets you scores. You can also compete in leaderboards for daily challenges, or for even missions and it brings in a sort of competitive spirit never before seen on a portable device. What makes it an icing on the cake is the smooth responsive controls. Compared to Uncharted: Golden Abyss, it’s a lot more responsive here, although, there is a little auto aim as well.

There are a bunch of characters here with special abilities, from offensive to defensive, and depending on the requirements for a specific mission, you can pick your choicest operative. You can level them all till ten, and unlock different weapons and equipments in the process. The 36 main missions will take you a while to complete unless you go in all guns blazing, but hey, who wants to do that when playing stealthy is so satisfying?

I love Zipper’s netcode, I really do. Each and every one of their games features splendid netcode, and offers lag free gameplay. Unit 13 is no different here. When you play with a buddy on PSN and complete missions together, you won’t really encounter any issues that will hamper the experience.

The game runs really smoothly, and is a nice surprise, considering the visuals are quite good. The main issue I have with the game is that the AI is extremely dumb, which is a little disappointing. They seem to spot you even if they aren’t looking in your direction in some cases.

There are nine HVT missions, which require stars to unlock. You can gain stars by completing the main missions. If you keep completing each mission and gain five stars in the process, you will have enough to unlock them all. So don’t go rushing in and try to complete objectives under the time limit, and it is also really satisfying to play this way.

The game is not really that sophisticated. You can use Vita’s touchscreen to disable bombs or perform certain actions. Most of the maps aren’t that big, but there are a lot of maps here, and they’re quite varied and interesting. I mean, it’s not really oozing with good art design considering its Zipper, but they’re nice to look at on that gorgeous Vita’s OLED screen.

Unit 13 is well worth the money, and it’s a game that I have enjoyed a lot. There is a lot of content here, and considering the fact that it looks and runs so well on the Vita, fans of Zipper and Vita owners shouldn’t overlook this title. It’s a great pick-up-and-play game, and is potential system seller for the Vita.

This game was reviewed on the PS Vita.