I got cocky. I’d reached the objective marker, but found myself
ambushed by an enemy fleet. Too many to take on in such an
enclosed space, I opted for flight over fight, hoping to either lose
them en route to the extraction point, or isolate them and pick
them off one by one. Weaving through a labyrinth of tunnels, I
passed by a spider’s lure of space junk, wheeling away a split-second before
it lurched forward and grabbed one of my pursuers.
I blasted a bulbous plant, which
released electrically charged pollen
into the path of another, obliterating
his shields just in time for him to see
a missile salvo arc toward his cockpit.
Laughing, I boosted clear… and
straight into the hungry grasp of a
giant space bug. I died less than a
screen’s width away from the exit.
Galak-Z is great
when things are going
right, but it’s brilliant
when they’re going
wrong – and there are
plenty of ways for that
to happen. On one
occasion I decided to
take things slowly,
methodically advancing
through a maze-like interior, staying
beyond the sight cones of patrolling
craft where possible and luring lone
ships into devious traps. Having
amassed a tidy haul of scrap, I
meandered toward the exit, only to
be struck by a jet of flame that had
burst forth from a hole in a pipe.
Startled, I panicked, shooting a gas
tank that whirled around before
settling on a trajectory that saw it
smash into my cockpit and explode,
removing my final sliver of health.
This sci-fi roguelike has rightly
earned its fearsome reputation. You
will perish, and often. I won’t lie and
claim failure isn’t frustrating, but win
or lose, you’ll have a wonderful time
doing so. It may not always be fair,
but then it wouldn’t be a roguelike
without fortune involved. And, if only
occasionally, it will fall in your favour.
But luck comes a distant second to
skill. Galak-Z might have a steep
learning curve, but it’s a reminder
that mastering an unorthodox control
system can be hugely enjoyable. At its
simplest level, it’s like Asteroids, in
that you rotate to aim and thrust to
move in that direction, but it’s more
nuanced than that. At times I
wondered if I would’ve preferred
more manoeuvrability at the cost of
weight, but I’m happy with the
balance: with maximum thrust speed,
your ship is on the brink of feeling
skittish. If the odds can seem unfair,
you’re given the tools
to escape the stickiest
of situations, whether
you’re strafing,
boosting, or applying
your rear jets to get out
of harm’s way.
Then there’s the
juke, which sees your
ship spin out of the
screen and dive back in. It’s a
showboater’s dream, designed to
encourage dangerous play – like
boosting towards an enemy, lifting off
at the last second to land behind your
opponent, and swivelling to unleash a
barrage into its rear. Worth the risk?
Undoubtedly, though the screeching
insectoids, powerful empire fleets
and snarling raiders you’ll face are
not to be underestimated. They’re
often smart, yet capable of errors in
judgement – with clever positioning
you can get a larger craft to blast its
diminutive allies before they race off
to call backup, or get two factions to
fight one another, distracting them
long enough to peel away to safety.
episodic
And if the 25 randomly generated
missions are all, broadly speaking,
salvage quests, Galak-Z works hard to
contextualise your adventures. It
takes place over five TV-style
‘seasons’, with five episodes in each.
It looks and sounds for all the world
like a great lost Saturday morning
cartoon from the ’80s and while the
overarching plot won’t win any
awards, the script is light and witty
and the performances are terrific
– likeable protagonist A-Tak and his
officer Beam share a warm rapport.
There’s even something moving
about the game over screen, which
shows an empty helmet with a
cracked visor floating by, a brutal
reminder of the stakes.
But as much as it stings to lose a
ship equipped with half a dozen
permanent perks, there are enough
thrilling discoveries to dull the pain.
Indeed, by the beginning of the
second season you’ll have a whole
new series of combat techniques to
learn. Its final surprise for PC owners
is a mode that unlocks checkpoints
after every episode rather than
forcing you to survive an entire
season with just one life. Reaching
the end may still be beyond some
players, but putting the bountiful
rewards of Galak-Z within the reach
of many more budding space cadets
can only be a good thing.
HOW DOES THE STOCK MARKET WORK
TOP 10 WAYS TO MAKE MONEY ONLINE
TOP 10 BEST VIDEO GAMES OF ALL TIME
10 VIDEO GAME EASTER EGGS THAT TOOK YEARS TO FIND
50 UPCOMING NINTENDO SWITCH GAMES OF 2018
TOP 25 BEST FREE iOS GAMES
TOP 15 BEST INDIE GAMES EVER MADE
ALL GAME REVIEW
ไม่มีความคิดเห็น:
แสดงความคิดเห็น