Judgement: Not Recommended
View review on Steam
I won this game in a giveaway, and I am sad to say I have not enjoyed my time with it. It's not BAD per se, but is marred by so many design flaws and obfuscated information that I cannot recommend it. (Note: I exclusively played single-player. It might be more fun with friends, but better games would also be more fun with friends so why not play those instead?)
Retro should not mean clunky. The menu navigation is bizarre, to the point that the only guide to this game on Steam is how to navigate the main menu. I wish I was joking. All the important information about your character (lives, score multiplier, etc.) is jammed into the corner in a font approximately 6 points tall. The main action isn't much better--your character and the vast majority of enemies are actually smaller than they appear in the store screenshots.
The gameplay is uninspired--robots pour out of a door, you shoot them. Once you've shot enough, there's an explosion and robots start pouring out different doors, until eventually the room is clear and you move to the next. I suppose this used to be "acceptable" for an arcade-style score chaser, but calling it "retro" doesn't make it less dull.
There are serious flaws in the gameplay too. Robots and players respawn at the same doors. Robots respawn instantly. Shoot one, and another immediately comes out the same door. Do you see the problem? Better hope you didn't kill a swarm right before you died, because you'll probably respawn right in the middle of their replacements. No, you don't get any mercy frames or a second of ghost-walking. You're stuck in that swarm and better be able to fight them off with your depowered weapon.
Each of the hidden characters, game modifiers, and all but one stage of the alternate modes are hidden behind unlocks. Which ones, who knows? You'll have to beat a challenge before you find out. And when you do, odds are you'll get a lorebook entry instead. Said challenges are also incredibly grindy: kill 1,000 robots, kill 10,000 robots, play 10 hours with a particular character, etc.
There may be depth to this game, but it is hidden so well that I can't find it. Perhaps if I got gud, but I'd rather just play an actually fun game instead.
Retro should not mean clunky. The menu navigation is bizarre, to the point that the only guide to this game on Steam is how to navigate the main menu. I wish I was joking. All the important information about your character (lives, score multiplier, etc.) is jammed into the corner in a font approximately 6 points tall. The main action isn't much better--your character and the vast majority of enemies are actually smaller than they appear in the store screenshots.
The gameplay is uninspired--robots pour out of a door, you shoot them. Once you've shot enough, there's an explosion and robots start pouring out different doors, until eventually the room is clear and you move to the next. I suppose this used to be "acceptable" for an arcade-style score chaser, but calling it "retro" doesn't make it less dull.
There are serious flaws in the gameplay too. Robots and players respawn at the same doors. Robots respawn instantly. Shoot one, and another immediately comes out the same door. Do you see the problem? Better hope you didn't kill a swarm right before you died, because you'll probably respawn right in the middle of their replacements. No, you don't get any mercy frames or a second of ghost-walking. You're stuck in that swarm and better be able to fight them off with your depowered weapon.
Each of the hidden characters, game modifiers, and all but one stage of the alternate modes are hidden behind unlocks. Which ones, who knows? You'll have to beat a challenge before you find out. And when you do, odds are you'll get a lorebook entry instead. Said challenges are also incredibly grindy: kill 1,000 robots, kill 10,000 robots, play 10 hours with a particular character, etc.
There may be depth to this game, but it is hidden so well that I can't find it. Perhaps if I got gud, but I'd rather just play an actually fun game instead.
Review posted on 14/07/2020, 17:36:00.