Resogun

Editor's Notes

Version reviewed is for the PS4, which is available either free with PS Plus or as a standalone purchase.

Introduction

Finnish independent game developer Housemarque left their mark (several, in fact) during the life-cycle of the PlayStation 3. With titles like 'Super Stardust HD', 'Outland', and my personal favorite, 'Dead Nation', they took the downloadable title to new heights with impressive visuals, deep game play, and addictive challenges. Through their mastery of the twin-stick shooter mechanic they kick off the next generation with 'Resogun' for the PlayStation 4.

The Game Itself: Our Reviewer's Take

"Save the Last Human" are the first words you'll hear when starting a new game and are the pretense for the intense action that follows. Played on a track that spins on a vertical cylindrical plane, you fly one of three varieties of ships in either direction, managing both offensive and defensive stance as you are bombarded with waves of spawning enemies intent on your complete annihilation.

While any semblance of story takes a backseat to the action and twitch-style game play, the addictive format and competitive score-chasing of 'Resogun' will undoubtedly melt away the time without the distraction of the contrived story that might have been unnecessarily inserted. With no tutorial to speak of, you are immediately dropped into the action. Thankfully, the controls are easy enough to digest that even a rookie shmup (shoot 'em up) gamer like myself was able to quickly grasp.

As a twin-stick shooter, you control your ship with the left stick while horizontally firing your weapon out the front or rear with the right. In addition to your main weapon you'll also have an occasional opportunity to utilize a screen-clearing bomb. Overdrive is a powered up weapon unique to each of the three available ships. And the Boost ability lets you speed around the 2D map, destroying everything in your path, ending with an area-effect shockwave blast. The tools of the trade are at your fingertips, knowing how – and when – to use them will determine your success.

'Resogun' is a much deeper experience than a first glance might suggest. True score chase enthusiasts will take note of the multipliers. While there is no shortage of enemies, the multiplier up is fed and maintained by the damage inflicted on those enemies. Those brief moments of calm, when enemies are too far away to hit, will result in your multiplier dropping; to the point of losing it altogether. 'Resogun' also provides additional rewards and points for not using any bombs during a level, instilling a sense of risk over reward.

Sure, score chasing can be good fun, but let's not forget about those poor humans that need saving. Each level starts with a number of humans trapped, side-by-side, in tiny compartments. Humans are individually freed and dropped from their imprisonment after specific enemies have been destroyed. It's your job to scoop each human up as quickly as possible and deliver them to safety, all while managing the intensity of your own personal bullet-hell. Success will deliver a variety of bonuses – extra points, a charged up shield, an additional bomb – but time is short. The humans won't last long out in the open and trying to reach them is harder than you might think.

In a fun, intentional quirk of gameplay, the humans can be shot, which launches them into the air and multiple shots allow for juggling and for swooping in for a grab.

Completing the individual phases of each level will prompt a Boss battle. These are generally large geometrical objects that slowly work their way toward you, firing a barrage of lasers and fireballs. They typically have a number of clearly identified weak points that need to be destroyed in order to diminish both the size of the boss and its health bar. While a fairly standard trope across video game genres, these Boss battles are the weakest link to 'Resogun'. They come across as unimaginative and somewhat boring. As creative as the rest of the enemy types are leading up to this final battle I would have expected something more dynamic and interesting.