Like Geometry Wars… with LSD

In the last few days, I’ve been playing through more of the games in my big Indie Game pack. Most recently, I’ve spent some time with Everyday Shooter. While I haven’t quite finished the game (it’s HARD), I feel like I’ve played enough of it throw out a decent review.

Before I get to likes and dislikes, let me describe the game briefly. In a nutshell, the game is Geometry Wars. Like Geometry Wars, it’s best played with a gamepad; the left control stick moves you around and the right one shoots. That’s pretty much it.

Unlike Geometry Wars, this game is psychedelic. In a good way. Each level different… in pretty much everyway. The game only has 8 levels – although reaching the last one requires crazy skill. Let’s get on with it now.

Loved

• Unique Levels. Not only does the background and music change each level as you’d expect, but the enemies change too. The enemy changes are not superficial; the mechanics they use change radically from level to level. In one, you are shooting an eyeball with robots coming out of it; in another you're shooting little plane looking things trying to avoid something that I can only classify as the “red baron.” I’ve made it through 6 of the levels, and each of them is COMPLETELY different. It really is a nice touch, especially compared to Geometry Wars where the game remains largely the same.
• Music. The music in the game is decent enough for what it is, but what really makes it shine is how it integrates with the game play. Blowing up large enemies triggers a crescendo-like effect that perfectly fits with the music. The audio in general is very well done and just very enjoyable. The music is SO tied to the game that the levels actually last for the length of a single song.

Hated

• Repetitiveness. When you start playing the game, you have access to a single mode: playing the game through from start to finish. You have a set number of lives and no continues. If you die, you start back over at level 1. While you can eventually unlock the ability to play individual levels or get more lives, you still just find yourself playing over and over again from the first level. I really wish I had the ability to “continue” when I died, or even to start the “adventure” mode from a specific level. I have this feeling that it will be quite awhile before I see the last level, merely because I just can’t take that much of the game in a single sitting.

There’s definitely a lot to like here. If the game made it easier to see/experience all the levels, it would be hard to fault it on much of anything. While I definitely wouldn’t recommend anybody pay very much for it (there really isn’t much game here), anything in the sub $10 range would be well worth the investment. The game is definitely a bit more art that actual game, but it really is a decent way to spend some 10-15 minute blocks.