PixelJunk Shooter Ultimate Review

PixelJunk Shooter Ultimate is an arcade style, twin stick shooter, puzzle game where you control a mining ship that heads deep into the planet to rescue survivors and collect gems whilst killing various enemies and avoiding deadly traps.

With Pixel Junk Shooter Ultimate, Q Games proves that sometimes simplicity is key as they provide a fun and easy to play gaming experience.

The controls are simple, using the W A S D keys and the mouse you navigate a series of changing levels, picking up the surviving miners and gems. The levels get progressively harder, with the first levels providing you with a nice learning curve that allows you to pick up the basics of the game and the mechanics. Before long, you are strategically planning every move and weighing up the potential consequences.

There are secret areas dotted around the levels and as a general rule they are well hidden, I certainly wasn’t able to find them all on my first attempt anyway. This provides the player with some replay ability, and will especially appeal to completionists. If you aren’t a player who likes to discover every nook and cranny, you aren’t forced to seek them out and can simply pile past them as you work your way through the game.

The game itself wasn’t overly long, but you get plenty of content for your money and if you enjoy replaying missions to get better scores, you will certainly see plenty of hours racked up in your steam library.

There’s a nice variety of enemies and as one would expect they become progressively harder and have different attack patterns the further you progress. Their designs don’t particularly wow you, but you quickly learn that figuring out how they will engage you is key, as some enemies will come from underground whereas others will even pour lava on you.

The graphics on the game are clean and simple and if you are looking to be visually wowed, you have unfortunately come to the wrong place. Each design seems to be carefully thought out and although they are generally basic designs it all seems to work. I’m not so sure that if the game had better visuals it would do much for the game, as I think it would lose some of the arcade feel, which I treasured throughout.

As an all-round experience Pixel Junk Shooter Ultimate provides a simple yet efficient game that appeals to the masses. It’s easy to pick up and play and doesn’t require you to dedicate a large amount of time to it in long sittings. It epitomizes what an arcade game should be, fun.

Score: 4 out of 5

Thanks to the publisher for supplying a code for review.

Bounty Train Review

Bounty Train is a unique game from Daedalic Entertainment. With its own unique take of the train simulation genre, you must strategically plan and maneuver between trade routes in order to complete missions and build a new rail route.

At first, the game is a little confusing as the tutorial for it lasts around 10 seconds and tells you how to send your train to a new destination. From then on out, you are on your own as you progress through the story, evade and defeat the enemies and make money from transporting goods on your steam train.

To proceed through the game you must complete quests for people in various cities, earning enough cash to purchase the license to travel to the next area. Whilst traveling around, you can get attacked by bandits or even stop to trade with traveling traders. You can meet a variety of passengers in the different cities who will have requests from you, such as transport them to Boston. You can also buy and transport cargo to different cities for a little extra cash.

The combat system can be flawed in places, as some enemies can stand out of your range and you literally get forced to stand still and take the damage whilst you wait for the battle timer to reach zero. The combat itself though is simple enough, you select your characters and click where you want them to go, who you want them to attack, whether you want them to drive the train and even if you want to put out fires on the train. The different options at the beginning of the game don’t feel very deep, however the further you progress, the more you value the different options available to you and can become quite manic when trying to fend off enemies attacking multiple carriages.

The Hardcore Mode is a really nice addition making the game's difficulty level so much higher. Within the Hardcore Mode you can’t save, load or even retry a checkpoint. I tested this at the start of the game by refusing to take the mission and the game actually ended with a short narrative of what happened to the characters. It’s a nice twist and it makes you play with a lot more emotion. You don’t need to keep it switched on either, you can turn it off whenever you wish so if you just want to complete the game to see what happens, you can go down that route.

In all honesty, when the game landed in my inbox I was very skeptical about it and was kind of dreading sitting down with it. It’s sometimes hard to resist the urge to prejudge and I can say after actually playing the game my opinion is completely reversed. It’s fun, challenging and deep enough that you can sit there for long periods enjoying the game. Currently available as an early access purchase on steam, this is certainly a title that will take many people by surprise.

Score: 4 out of 5

Thank you to Daedalic Entertainment for providing us with a copy of the game to review.

Hyperdimension Neptunia Rebirth 3 V Generation Review

Hyperdimension Neptunia Rebirth 3 V Generation (HNR3) is a Japanese style turn based Role Playing Game in which you take control of Neptune, a CPU that is one of the main superpowers in the world. From her home base of Planeptune you must take on quests and missions as you level yourself up and become once again the guardian that you were destined to be.

The story is simple enough to get involved in even if, like me, you haven’t played any of the previous titles. There is plenty of information available to provide you with enough backstory for you to push forward and enjoy the game. I found the dialogue in the game trying in many places and found myself having to fight the urge to skip quickly. It was acted out well, but the writing was poor and I felt it didn’t flow and was quite forced in places. Overall, it was easy to engage in, though and was actually pretty funny at certain points.

The battle mechanics at first are a little strange and can be off-putting, however after not very long, you get used to them and begin to sweep away enemies with ease. Whilst in a battle you can freely move your character around a pre highlighted area. You want to try and position yourself so none of the enemies will hit you from behind whilst still trying to do damage to your opponents. The styles of attacks are simple enough, in essence you have a SP Skill which is your special attack, only useable when you charge up a bar below your health bar. You also have normal attacks which you can combo together to maximise damage. The three types of attack you should use, combo attacks, power attacks and defence breaking attacks, depend on your situation so you have to think tactically what is best for your current situation. The choice in attacks, even with your different styles of basic attacks allows for some combat and tactical decision making which I thoroughly enjoyed.

The character design of the main protagonists are what you would expect from a Japanese style RPG. The bulk of the females have a cute feminine charm however the fact that nearly all of them are top heavy quickly becomes annoying. I felt as though the art designers could have showed a little more creativity than just throwing big breasts into the equation. The armour and enemy design though is the complete opposite, each of which held their own appeal and I enjoyed seeing what wacky creatures I would come across next.

The control system was quite a handful on the PC version which I reviewed and felt quite clunky. I was forced regularly to check the button configuration to find out what button I needed to use to accomplish what I wanted to do. For me, this was the biggest obstacle to try and overcome as I couldn’t ever really relax into the game and just play it. I do feel that it would be much more natural on a controller and the button symbols that are in game suggest the developer feels that way also.

The music in the game is very good, providing the right mood and ambience when necessary. It’s never too strong that it overpowers what is happening in game however it has enough of an effect that it helps set the setting nicely.

Overall, I enjoyed the game with the combat system being the real game selling aspect for me. The dialogue was unfortunately a big turn off and even after a lot of gameplay I still struggled a little with the controls but even this wasn't enough to make me stop playing. I would certainly recommend taking a look at this game but I personally will opt for the console version in the future.

3/5

Thank you to Idea Factory for providing us with a copy of this game to review.

Assault Android Cactus Review

It’s not often that I get to sit down and write a review of a game that truly impresses me from the get go, however, with Assault Android Cactus I get to do just that.

Assault Android Cactus is an arcade-style twin stick shooter, due to be released on PC September 23, 2015 with a console release expected early 2016. Created by Witch Beam, an Australian based Indie Development team, they set out to create something memorable and boy did they deliver.

When the game begins you take control of an android called Cactus who has responded to a distress call on an abandoned ship. You are taken through a short tutorial which explains the game mechanics and the control system and then you are let loose.

The gameplay itself is extremely intense as swarms of the robotic enemies attack you from the start. As you kill enemies, you collect the nuts that are dropped, powering up your weapons, providing you with a variety of different effects, from upgraded damage to a wider spread, ultimately making it easier for you to hold back the horde!

Along with leveling up your weapon, there are a variety of different pickups that you can collect that have different effects, from providing you with extra fire power to freezing the enemies in place. In some situations these pickups can literally save your life and are a welcome sight.

To stop you finding a way to camp out the maps, there is a battery at the top of the screen which slowly depletes as you play the level. You must kill enemies and collect the batteries that are dropped in order to recharge the battery and continue your fight. I felt this to be a very welcome addition, as I know how easy it is to fall back on an easier way of completing a level. Forcing the player to move around and collect is a great way to combat camping.

You navigate a map of the ship in order to select which level you want to play, each divided into different zones. The game has a variety of dynamic levels, each with a completely different feel than the last, forcing you to mix up your strategy as the environment evolves. Games like this can feel repetitive, so it’s encouraging to see the developer really trying to give each level a unique feel. You must fight through a variety of zones, each one in a different area of the ship and each zone's final stage being a boss. Each of the bosses have a variety of different battle mechanics that can really catch you off guard if you aren’t paying attention!

With an all-female cast of playable characters called androids, each boasting their own unique primary and secondary weapon combinations, you must fight through hordes of robotic enemies. Initially, there are four playable characters, however, when you beat each zone, you unlock a new character up until you have a total of 9.

The only real downside to this game is the lack of online multiplayer. Witch Beam has said that unfortunately it is out of their capabilities right now, however if possible in the future, they will look to add it in. There is local multiplayer available, however I do feel that the experience as a whole would be great to share with a friend online.

Game mode wise, you don’t just have to play through the story. You can play through extra modes which will keep you killing for a while to come. These include an endless mode where you must take your favorite android and attempt to literally survive as long as you physically can as the enemies become progressively harder and a daily mode where you get one chance per day to put a big score on the leader boards to show your gaming prowess.

Assault Android Cactus is an action packed, intense title that really pushes you to your limits. It is a game which you can literally spend hours on destroying the countless enemies in front of you as you compete to get the best score possible. The game seeps quality from its pores. If you like old school arcade titles, this is a must have!

Score:5 out of 5

Thanks to the publisher for supplying a code for review

Legends Of Eisenwald Early Access Review

Turn based Role Playing Games (RPGs) are potentially one of the toughest nuts to crack within the world of gaming. Aterdux Entertainment have decided to take up the mantle and boy have they done an outstanding job!

When you first begin playing Legends Of Eisenwald, the very first thing that grabs you is the truly stunning world that you spawn in. Across the entire map, you are treated to a vast array of visual greatness, from the buildings, to the trees, the whole area is visually brilliant. You begin the story in a prologue chapter of the game as one of the three classes, a knight (melee), baroness (ranged) and mystic (mage) each of which can alter how you battle alongside your forces and can even have minor alterations to the story.

The combat system itself is very similar to what has been delivered in previous turn based RPGs. You and the enemy army will take it in turns based on your individual soldiers speed and perform attacks and abilities. There is no skipping turns which is a very interesting feature as it prevents people from being too passive and just reacting to what the AI does. You can however use a turn when using a priest or healer and recover MP, so if you don't have any potions for them they won't become deadweight. Again, this is a nice addition, as in some well known RPG titles your mages become completely redundant when their mana pool is completely drained.

The way that you recruit units for your armies is simple. You travel to taverns and villages, and using one of the action commands there, you can select which units you want to recruit in order to strengthen your army. Unfortunately, I found using this method of recruiting to be very soulless and I never found myself holding any real attachment to any of the generic soldiers fighting for me. This is something I feel is vital in titles such as this, as your travelling companions should be emotionally taxing, whether you love them or hate them, ultimately you should feel something!

The music in this game is excellent for setting the mood and really supplemented the game without being too overpowering. All of the effects and background music was perfectly placed for what is unfolding around you, so as the game suspense builds then the music follows suit to add to the tension. One small gripe I had with the music however was when you entered an inn you are instantly hit with a lot of loud hustling and talking. This is great when it comes to representing the feel of the inn, but when you are trying to read an epic bit of text or some lore from an NPC it can be very distracting and completely ruin the mood.

Overall, I think this game is excellent to play and fans of the genre will truly be happy with what Aterdux Entertainment have been able to produce. It's a beautiful, gripping and lengthy experience that really picks up the player and throws them into a world of chaos that is in need of a hero. Retailing at £15 in the UK at the time this goes to print, it's a game that you really shouldn't pass upon.

4/5

The Digital Gamer