Crazy bullet hell, raining shots of variety to block your path and take you down, is a popular genre that always seems to challenge players to their limits. Pressure Overdrive by Chasing Carrots takes this very difficulty and puts in you a speeding buggie vehicle equipped with its own weapons!
Story
After spa business has drained your lake for their own greedy benefit, what would you do to get it back? Taking to the path leading up to the spa and finding it littered with robotic enemies bound to stop you, you will have to fight your way past them in your battle buggie and get back the lack that you once lived on!
Gameplay
The game plays a bit like a twin stick where you use the left analog stick to move in all directions and the right analog stick to fire the gun equipped on your vehicle. While the only direction you can't fire is backwards, you will never have to reload yet you will have to watch your pressure gauge because you will slow down, both firing speed and movement, if you end up with low pressure.
I quickly had to learn that speeding through the level is not the best route. Even though you have serious speed, and an optional boost component, it is better to go slow and watch out for all the oncoming bullets from your enemies.
You can also customize the car to have a variety choice of weapon, front, back, top, and even the buggie style by earning gold. Gold is earned by defeating bigger enemies and reaching the checkpoints along the levels path.
The game does have a bit of repetition and tedious moments, but is overall pretty fun for challenge lovers. Check out some of my gameplay from the first section of the game:
Graphics
The entire game looks like a cartoon and that it has been put together, seeing how majority of creatures (including your own pet dog) is a robotic creature. It gives a light attitude to the hellfire this game will send your way!
Sound
The vehicle sound effects were rather simple along with the music. This doesn't mean anything negative, as the vehicle had a low rumble to indicate its use, the gunfire had their own sounds according to which you chose, the music while game was in action was a playfully active tune, and the music while paused or lounging was like elevator music. I thought it mixed well with the colorful graphics provided.
Replayability
There is an endless mode and a long campaign, so you will have plenty of reason to continue to get on and keep pushing forward! Even after you beat the campaign, there are other difficulties if you want to keep pushing yourself.
What Could Be Better
The game did have a bit of tedious to it since the enemy waves didn't change often, just multiplied. The boss fights also have tedious moments because there is always the one specific way to defeat it and often times this meant dodging the onslaught until they make the one or two sections that are vulnerable open to attack. I was hoping for a better balance where the bullets that hit them, even when guarded, would do at least some damage!
Final Verdict
The game is fun, but much better with a friend. Incredibly difficult, even on lower difficulties, so if you are a challenge chaser this game will be perfect for you.
"It was like a bullet hell, cartoon version of Twisted Metal"