Nex Machina Review
Release Date: June 20th, 2017
Developer: Housemarque
Platform: PlayStation 4 (reviewed), and Steam
Price: $20
Brought to gamers everywhere from the creators of Resogun, Nex Machina means death machine. Nex Machina was created in collaboration with the Robotron and Smash TV creator, Eugene Jarvis. This game is billed as an arcade experience with competition in mind. Join The Gamers Lounge as we play Nex Machina and experience what a true twin sticker shooter can be in the modern era
The game doesn't have much in the way of a story but think of it as gamers playing as humanity's last hope and they are trying to save what remains of the civilization. This game just goes to show titles in the modern era don’t always need a great backstory. Nex Machina is a crazy top down shooter where players are trying to rescue hapless humans while killing all sorts of robots. The game is fast paced and the slightest mistake could cost gamers.
Each level is a new challenge that rewards players who can complete it. There are tons of bonuses to acquire. Players don't have to save the humans, instead they could just kill everything. But saving the humans will get players nice bumps in score. As the levels progress, waves of enemies in all forms are going to come at players hard. This is going to require players to pay attention and try to figure out what tactics work best.
In order to combat these endless waves of enemies, players start with small blaster. Don't worry, there are plenty of secondary weapons to find. Some of these include rocket launchers, lasers, swords, and a few others that I didn't really utilize. One of the best abilities players have at their disposal is the dash. Dashing makes players invulnerable for a few seconds and they can move them through lines enemies. Misjudge this and players can meet their doom quickly. The explosive dash and triple dash add to this ability. I figured out quickly if I died, I dropped my secondary weapon which can be picked up again after I respawned.
Every time players die they are going to want come back for more of the upbeat music, the flashy graphics and the ever changing worlds. No matter how hard the game got, I found myself trying different tactics to get around enemies. As the stages progressed the game got tougher. But I enjoyed every minute of it. Nex Machina is short enough to be played in bursts. For anyone who loves the twin stick shooters of yesterday I cannot recommend this game enough.
Pros:
-Fast paced
-Nostalgic
-Perfect to play in short bursts
Cons:
-Can be difficult
-Not for everyone