There's a hell of a grudge match between aliens and humans. Looking back on the history of our fictional encounters with those from other planets, it can be seen that they rarely come down to share technology and enlightenment. No, they usually appear, raise all sorts of hell from demolition to probing our fellow humans internally with all manner of pointy devices. So it is with a sense of impassioned ire that I set off to defeat the waves of UFO's that threaten our existence in this Indie 2D Shoot em up.
Story
This is a game in the style of classic 2D games such as Gradius and R-Type. Taking the flight stick of your highly advanced spaceship you are tasked with flying through seven challenging levels. Destroying the alien menace which has recently made itself known by taking out the nearby human populated space station.
Gameplay
This is a fast, challenging and enjoyable bullet-hell shooter. It utilises a particular gimmick, it mixes traditional shooter gameplay with the unpredictability of a rogue like. Each stage is randomly generated, complete with different game backgrounds, collectable icons and enemy types and patterns. There's massively challenging boss battles, each boss getting larger and more aggressive as you progress.
Unfortunately, there's not much to collect in the game, no coins to obtain to buy new ships or weapons. I found that disappointing, I enjoy purchasing more powerful weapons, choosing between powerful lasers or devastating barrages. This generally brings a little more strategy to these types of games.
There are however a wide variety of weapons available to pick up as you blast the evil aliens to hell. Over 35 in fact, ranging from the typical blasters to the bizarre large chomping jaws of death. I was actually surprised about the amount of strange pickups available and unique items which littered the screen.
The gameplay is solid, but has the ability to become old very quickly. Your ship can swap between two weapons, and there are no smart bombs available. The latter omission makes the game extremely difficult and once you are killed, you are transported back to the beginning of the level.
This is a challenging game, but never came across as being unfair. Even when I had small quibbles about weapons and the ship's impact zone, it never ruined the experience. I enjoyed what I played, but wish there was a little more to it. While there are some cool weapons, it never feels like the game takes them far enough. Even the between-stage perks aren't especially interesting. It only hints at what could be possible with a rogue like shoot-em-up.
Sound and Graphics
Gorgeous Pixel art peppers this game, I enjoyed the level of detail the developers had spent the time implementing into the title. You can read the name of the destroyed ships that are displayed across their bow, the explosions are impressive and the overall design hurtles the player back to the great days of beautiful 16-bit shoot em up design.
The sound effects and music are fairly generic but satisfactory. All the expected effects from lasers and explosions are present and draw you into the game. There's nothing memorable about the soundtrack but nothing offensive to your ears either.
Overall
This is an enjoyable, challenging game. It's beautifully detailed graphics and addictive gameplay make it a worth while title to spend some of your time with. This is definitely recommended if you are a fan of traditional 2D shooters.
