REMOTE LIFE

It's like R-Type/Darius with the enemy/stage art style, but if H.R. Giger made the art, completely worth playing if just for the visuals, and yet, the game itself is very competent. Controls are tight, simple on a keyboard, and fun with a controller, but I will say I encountered some difficulty navigating menus when using the Steam Deck. The game isn't verified for the SD yet, so that's hardly a criticism, and I'll just say it's a great experience overall.

I have to give this a thumbs down because for all the promise it shows, there is an overall lack of quality in every area except visual design. It feels like a game where the studio built out the game in full, but just released it before putting in the polish. There's no real transition between levels, sound effects are missing, level design feels half baked, and even though the music is good for what it wants to be, it's sloppily incorporated. Level design: Levels have a lot of FU moments that just feel inappropriate. The second actual mission, for example, begins with a power-up to collect and some things to shoot to your left. Fun. Except if you spend to shooting them, you might not notice that on the right of the screen, a door was closing and you die now, but have to wait for the auto-scroll to push you into it. Not fun. Waiting for doors to open while you have nothing to shoot is also a big problem in the level design. Overall, there is just a lack of understanding in how to structure levels in order to emphasize the mechanics and fun of the game, partially due to an over-use of cramped environments. For one last example, you might often get drones which fire shots alongsid…

Fun shooter game with crazy bosses

There are a lot of things that I like about this game. I especially like the gigeresque art direction of this game. I also like how the bosses in this game look like giant cyborg versions of the kinds of monstrosities found in the deepest parts of the ocean - HOWEVER, there are also a couple of things that I'm not so fond of here. A good handful of deaths do feel a little bit cheap at times and I'm also not fond of the lack of a pause button (luckily, most of the levels are not that long). Get this game when it's on a good discount (as of the time I'm writing this, it's 50% off).

Impressed with the game straight away. Side scrolling shump with duel stick controls. The level design is really creative and a great sound track. Would recommend 9/10.

Gorgeous and deep tactical shmup that plays like a twin-stick R-Type game. The mechanics are smart, but the level design and Giger-inspired body horror are brilliant. This game was prohibitively hard on release, but has now been balanced to provide a stiff but fair challenge that the genre vets this is really for will readily take on. Highly recommended, though shmup beginners may learning curve steep.