Overall a decent effort by the devs, but I dont think its really a great game. Its OK. Unfortunately they made some design decisions I disagree with and then decided to make it into a console game, and port that version over for Steam so we could beta test it for them before the PSN launch.

In short the game is way too grindey and not intense enough for an action-arcade gamer who loves Megaman and Metal Slug. Yes the weapons are awesome, and Im fine with RPG elements. But the repetition of the levels, and constant need to backtrack and explore and collect are just over the top for me as a run n gun gamer. Yes, the boss fights are great. Probably the best part of the game. But in my opinion, if the game is going to be so grindey, they need more variety in the content, probably using procedural generation like Rogues Legacy (which I love, so im not 100% anti-grind. I also do like Monster Hunter).

Im a huge fan of Hardcorps Uprising which I dont believe was ever released for PC, only 360 and PS3. That game also had amazing hand drawn art, RPG elements, and great Boss fights. But I easily put 50 hours into that game because the core gameplay is much faster, more intense, with better controls and more balance. The ENTIRE game required twitch response and memorization, whereas in this game that only goes for the very short Boss fights.

It seems this game is all about grinding to max out your abilities and weapons, and not actually providing a twitch-arcade type of mechanic where skills are rewarded as well as grinding.

Finally, there is the lack of support for PC graphics features and mods. It would be easy to let us set the resolution how we want, set the refresh rate, maybe some filters and stuff like scanlines. It takes very little effort to add such simple features. However, this game transitioned to being a PS4 game at some point, and what PC gamers got was actually a port of a PS4 game which we beta tested before release on PSN and paid full price for.

Overall, while personally I cant help but feel very disappointed by this game because I love the genre so much, I will say that Im sure many people will find it great and I honestly wish I could enjoy it more. Its certainly competent and it works. If you dont have too many expectations, you will probably love it, at least until the game gets too hard or too grindey for you, or you just get bored of the repeating levels and music.


SCORE: 7/10 - GOOD

Playing a Good game is time well spent. Could it be better? Absolutely. Maybe it lacks ambition, has a few technical bumps in the road, or is too repetitive, but we came away from it happy nonetheless. We think you will, too.