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

Spirits Of Xanadu Review

Spirits Of Xanadu is an intense title, set in an alternate version of the 1980s. As a lone operative you must travel to the abandoned ship of Xanadu and bring it back to earth whilst discovering what happened to the missing crew. What can possibly go wrong?

From the offset, Spirits Of Xanadu creates an excellent atmosphere, instantly building and sustaining a level of tension and suspense that is difficult to accomplish with even the highest of video games budgets. Your goal as you traverse the ship and piece together an interesting story is to not only find out what happened on board, but to safely return the Xanadu back to Earth. As you begin to find snippets of what happened, you really become driven to find out what fate the crew had met!

The enemies on the ship are a combination of different forms of robots that each move, react and attack in different ways, forcing you to carefully consider how you approach each given situation. Although there are several different types of enemies, I unfortunately quickly found them VERY easy to predict, thus significantly reducing the threat they posed. That being said, though, on a few occasions I actually did get caught out by some unexpected enemies which gave me a rather large fright!

You have absolute freedom on the ship from the offset and can complete the puzzles in any order you like whilst exploring. Because the map has an interesting design, with tons of passageways and ventilation shafts, it provides you with alternative routes to use as you traverse the gloomy corridors.

In every area that you reach, there is nearly always a save point on the wall to save your progress, as well as a map so you can gather your bearings and plan your route to where you are heading. If you are a big scaredy cat, there is also a peaceful mode which makes all of the robots on the ship passive, so you can just enjoy your time exploring the Xanadu and solving puzzles as you please. I personally opted not to make use of this feature as I wanted to face the added challenge of the enemies, however I can completely understand how it would appeal to some gamers.

The puzzles were my personal favourite aspect of the game, as they were really well designed and actually a lot of fun to solve. They varied quite a bit in style and method, and on some occasions really did involve thinking outside of the box. One thing I learned quickly is that there are clues everywhere, you just need to know where to look!

Spirits Of Xanadu was honestly a game that I struggled to get into at first, however after a little while playing, I became well and truly immersed in the universe and my quest to discover what had happened to the crew on board. It's not a game that will necessarily appeal to everyone, however it is so well made and had such an interesting story behind it, I really do believe it's worth a shot. Will you meet the same fate as the Xanadu crew or will you survive the horror that awaits? I guess that's something for you to discover for yourselves!

3.5/5

Thanks to the publisher for supplying a code for review.

The Digital Gamer

Dynasty Warriors 8 Empires Review (PS4)

It's been nearly a month since Dynasty Warriors 8 Empires launched and only now do I feel that I have given the game enough time to consider writing a review on it. This is a sheer testament to the quality and scope of this game.

For those of you that don't know, Dynasty Warriors 8 Empires is a hack and slash game set in ancient China where you must carve your own path through a series of scenarios. How exactly you decide to approach your goals is entirely up to you, but ultimately, you aim to unite the land.

The different ways in which you can approach playing the game really do change the entire method you adopt in order to achieve domination. You can decide to be a Vagabond unit, travelling freely throughout the land and causing mayhem for warlords, completing quests and joining battles as you please. You can choose to serve another officer in a variety of roles, from a common officer, all the way up to their right hand advisors in the form of Marshals and Strategists, providing you with certain levels of responsibility and power across the region. You can also head out and become your very own ruler, seizing lands and expanding your territory as you recruit officers and develop your empire.

Dynasty Warriors 8 Empires really takes the series to the next level when it comes to customization, offering literally thousands of different combinations for your custom officers, soldiers, banners and even your own warhorses. They really have spent a large amount of time ensuring that this game is one that you can mold your own way, providing the player with the tools to really create the character that they want to play. Entering a battle as a custom character leading an army of midget soldiers is incredibly satisfying, no matter what kind of player you are.

Stratagems also feature in this game and are essentially abilities that you can use to influence battles. From taunting enemies so they abandon their posts, to setting enemy bases on fire and healing your own troops, there is a large emphasis on Stratagems and how they can turn a battle around for you. The stratagems aren't already unlocked from the beginning of the game either, so you must work in order to obtain them all and build the perfect battle strategy.

Graphically, I feel as though the game is deceiving. At first, the graphics look great and polished, with clean animations and smooth textures, however the more you play, the more you start to see cracks appear. The game is plagued with invisible walls around the map, so some spaces that look like you can easily walk through become impenetrable.

If I'm honest, despite all of the positive points this game has, if you aren't already a fan of this massive series then this game won't be the game to swing you onto it. For real hardcore fans of the Dynasty Warriors universe, you will easily spend hundreds of hours playing through the scenarios in all of the different ways possible. Ultimately, I think this game is an excellent game to play and having already clocked up around 200 hours on it I can safely say there is plenty of gameplay for your money. Head out to your local store, pick this up and build, survive and conquer your way to uniting the Three Kingdoms!

4/5

The Digital Gamer