Well, If only I could say that I didn't see this coming. I can't exactly overlook the fact that the Pirate FINALLY gets an alternate ability, either.
Stars and legendary characters aside (which is a massive factor to put aside, obviously), both of these abilities are situational, but good nonetheless.
The Dark Garlic Drone's primary weapon is the Dark Garlic. It fires slow moving projectiles that cause up to 12 splash damage, and an addition 10 damage on impact. Be careful, as you can also destroy your own drone with this attack.
While the firing rate is slow (one shot every 0.6 seconds), you don't have to worry about overheating, you can fire infinitely.
Its air strike is very similar to that of the normal Garlic Drone's. The only thing different about it other than its appearance is its damage, which is slightly lower (Only up to 50 per bomb instead of 70).
Sure, it's not that good in damage, this drone's splash damage can be really helpful for those who aren't that confident in their skills piloting a drone, or when fighting against Imps. It's a good ability.
Oh, if only I could say the same about the Future Parrot Pal...
While the Future Parrot Pal does have more health, it's very heavy. It moves slower, and you'll have to spend a bit more time trying to fly up and down.
Don't be fooled by its weapon name being the same as that of the normal Parrot Pal, this drone hits much harder. While the normal Parrot Drone hits between 7 and 8 damage and slightly more for critical hits, this Future Parrot deals 10 damage, 12 for critical hits, at all ranges.
It sounds good, but it really isn't. In addition to your already slower movement speed and more difficult control of the drone, there are three more drawbacks for having this higher firepower.
First, trying to turn left or right makes your reticle move upwards, which can really throw off your aim.
Second, the Future Parrot Pal's accuracy isn't exactly good. You'll find yourself missing most of your shots at long range, and even a few at medium range due to bullet spread, and there's not really anything you can do about that.
Finally, this drone's weapon doesn't hold out for as long as that of the normal drone's. You'll find yourself overheating a bit quicker than before.
"Oh, but what about its air strike? Surely that might make up for all of these downsides!" Oh, how I hoped this would be true.
The normal Parrot drone always drops 6 bombs in a small radius. Each deals up to 25 damage, and an additional 25 damage should any of the bombs land right on top of an enemy.
The Future Parrot, however, always drops 7 bombs in a consistent, 'X' shaped pattern which is larger than the radius of the normal Parrot's. While this can mean more damage, it also takes about a second longer for the bombs to drop, giving your enemies slightly more time to react before they're damaged.
Okay, the Future Parrot may not be as effective as the normal Parrot in most situations, but at least it looks cool, right? Right...?
Well, while this exactly like EA to do this, at least we get something to know they haven't given up on this game entirely (though we're getting pretty close).
