Ever since I first played Geometry Wars 2 on Xbox 360, I’ve been searching for something that could fill that void. The most recent game in the series didn’t do it for me. It wasn’t bad, in fact it was pretty good, it just didn’t hit the same. But searching through the Next Fest demos, I ran into Stratogun, which feels like the perfect mix between what I loved about GW2 and Housemarque’s classic Resogun.
‘Stratogun’ flat out feels great
What immediately sticks out upon firing up Stratogun is that the game feels incredible to play. It’s the type of tight control that I remember Geometry Wars 2 having. It makes me feel like every dodge and every death is exactly on me. And that’s the key to an arcade shooter like this. At no point should it feel cheap dying. I took an L and knew what I did wrong every time. The demo is pretty straight forward and the game actually does take the 3-dimensional aspect of Geometry Wars 3 and puts it to use.
Where Stratogun differs is that the action feels far more aggressive. You’re incentivized to keep attacking while dodging because the screen can fill up pretty quickly with things to shoot and saw blades running all through your path. A defensive style of play isn’t gonna get you anywhere here. You have to keep shooting to clear your path and then immediately use that clear path to get away and make more space. Quick reflexes are everything here.
Graphically, the game is pretty simple, just like Geometry Wars 2. Wireframes and serious particle effects rule the screen. The frame rate never dipped which is paramount in an arcade shooter that asks you to operate with this level of speed. I’d imagine that later levels ask more of you reflex wise, but still never dip in quality. This game feels pretty well optimized already.
sHOOTING IN ANOTHER WORLD
Stratogun is also VR compatible, which is going to be right up Shaun’s alley, so I hope he gives this a run. Personally, I’ve struggled with finding my footing with VR, but I do know that the overall experience with it has improved greatly since my last attempt at it. I don’t know when I’ll ever get around to getting geared up, but when i do, this will be on my list of games to try out.
I can’t wait to see the full version of the game with new level hazards and objects to take out. Based on screenshots and the trailer for the game, there is definitely more to see in the full game. I’m looking for Stratogun to be one of those indie games that everyone is talking about when it drops in March of this year. If you’re like me and you need a great arcade shooting fix, this is looking like the game to keep an eye on.
The post ‘Stratogun’ – Finally a Game That Can Scratch My Geometry Wars Itch appeared first on VICE.
