The Collider 2

Editor's Notes

Digital PC version reviewed. VR functionality was not tested.

Introduction

Shortbreak Studios, which is the internal sister studio of Techland, found success in 2014 with their fast-paced arcade game 'The Collider.' The iOS release tested the reflexes of players as they tried to steer clear of obstacles and see how fast they could go. Now two years later, the developer is back with 'The Collider 2,' which aims to build a more fleshed out experience for PC gamers.

The Game Itself: Our Reviewer's Take

Despite the title, players will not want to collide with anything in 'The Collider 2.' Instead they'll be tasked with avoiding obstacles, and to do that they'll need to steer their spaceship into tight openings. This is easier said than done, and you'll know that after just a few minutes of playtime. Shortbreak has developed a fast-paced, action pack affair, and one that never gives the player a second to catch their breath. 

Players can either control their ship's flight path with a mouse or by using a game controller. I found the game to be very difficult with a gamepad, as I could never get the ship to move fast enough to avoid the oncoming walls. Changing the sensitivity to high and adjusting the input threshold did little to fix these issues, so I eventually settled in with a mouse.

Sadly, this again became a process of trial and error. The controls can only be adjusted in the main menu, so if you want to tweak the sensitivity you'll have to exit the game mode you're in. This turns the entire process into a rather frustrating ordeal, and much more complicated than it should be. Eventually, I settled on having the sensitivity all the way on high and found that small movements were the way to success.

'The Collider 2' features a campaign filled with over 50 levels. Some levels will simply have players race through a short area (typically no longer than 35 seconds) against the clock, while others will have the player shooting down enemies. Firing the ship's weapon is done automatically, so you'll just have to line up the shot and the foes will be taken care off. It's a good thing that the controls are kept simple (the only other mechanic is using left clicking to boost), as I was far too focused on steering my ship to be pressing multiple buttons.

This is an extremely difficult game straight from the beginning, and that really will determine if you will end up enjoying your time with 'The Collider 2.' I spent my opening hour with the game struggling to do well, but doing just enough to pass levels. I'd scrape by a timed level with a second left, or destroy barely enough enemies. It was tough, but I managed to persevere. I even defeated the game's first boss fight, which you have to beat in a short amount of time to succeed, and I felt like I was slowly getting better.

The grind was extremely satisfying until I found out that in order to progress to the next chapter of levels, I had to earn 15 stars. Since I was barely fulfilling the minimum requirements of levels, this meant I had to replay several of the 9 previous levels until I got good enough to basically run them perfectly. That sucked a lot of my enjoyment out of the game, but I managed to do it.

These star requirement only keep getting more difficult as the game progresses, and I eventually hit my skill cap in the game's fourth chapter. It's a very poor way to handle progression, as simply beating levels mean nothing. You'll have to go above and beyond if you want to experience all the game has to offer, and I got to the point where my reflexes just couldn't keep up with what the game was throwing at me.

It also doesn't help that 'The Collider 2' is still largely a one trick pony. Once you've dodged the first 100 obstacles, you'll feel like you've seen everything to offer. This is fine for small play sessions, but this is definitely not a game I would recommend sinking hours into in a single session. It's just too repetitive, and the action gets old quickly.