Review
Release Date: 12.10.2009
Platform:
PlayStation NetworkDeveloper:
Q-Games, Ltd.Publisher:
Sony Computer Entertainment AmericaReviewed by
Richard Brownell on 12.17.2009
Every week, downloadable games are released for Wii, DSi, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. Years ago, gamers in the know could tell you every notable game released in this manner. Today we get so many that most games writers would be hard-pressed to tell you just what's come out in the past month. But once in a while a game comes out that rises above the rest. PixelJunk Shooter, a subterranean exploration game, is one of those cases. Besides that it's one of Q-Games' PixelJunk games, which garners attention on its own, it includes some unique concepts and a lot of style.
PixelJunk Shooter's visuals immediately catch the eye. The subterranean 2D world that your ship is exploring is made up of blocky objects and enemies reminiscent of games from 20 years ago. It's a very clean vector graphics look with just the right colors that both please the eye and set the scene. High Frequency Bandwidth contributed the music for the game which seems to fit perfectly with what's happening on the screen. It's a mix of ambient and upbeat electronic music that completes the environment of Shooter.
Looking at PixelJunk Shooter with a typical reviewer's eye, the goal of the game is to rescue the little yellow men scattered throughout the caves you explore and to eventually reach the end of the game and destroy the bosses. That's correct, but it's only the half of it. The real experience is in solving the puzzles that Q-Games has put in your way and enjoying the physics playground that you are in. Solving the puzzles isn't simply a means to an end, but a treat. Add in a second player and it gets even better. The second player pilots a ship identical to yours and you solve the very same puzzles together. In some cases, the second player has a difficult job but sometimes having two players makes the puzzles easier.
You are flying a ship that is capable of navigating caverns quite handily. Q-Games included dead simple controls: left stick moves your craft, right stick aims, one button shoots, and another grabs nearby objects and people. There's also a spin command. There's very little gravity to worry about and the walls don't kill you. All this adds up to an experience that doesn't feel punishing and allows the environments and physics puzzles to take center stage.
Immediately after starting your expedition, you run into the crucial concepts behind the game. The caves are full of a variety of substances, including the first two you encounter: water and magma. Water keeps your ship cool while magma destroys it. Pretty basic stuff. But add water to lava and they combine to produce a soft rock that you can shoot your missiles through. Q-Games rides out this concept pretty far, but it's only the beginning. You later get temporary ship upgrades that let you shoot magma or water and a different one that makes it so that magma heals you and water is dangerous.
All these variations of the basic themes of PixelJunk Shooter are fantastic. Whenever you feel like you might want to see a new mechanic, one shows up. The difficulty also scales up nicely with the new puzzles all the way to the end of the game. It's a very approachable game. Not all of the game is easy, but it's all doable. There's a nice mix of action and puzzle solving and bosses that works very well.
The only real problem I have with PixelJunk Shooter is that there should be more of it. The game is divided into three episodes. Each episode has an overall theme and is divided into several stages which have their own themes. Each stage is divided into multiple screens which includes a puzzle or two for you to solve. With three episodes, there's a good amount of content, but you can finish all of it in a short afternoon. Besides going back to rescue all the people you missed and find all the hidden gems in the levels, there isn't anything new to do in the levels. I wouldn't say there is no replayability though as playing through the levels is so enjoyable that I will definitely be playing through it again on my own and with a friend.
PixelJunk Shooter is the fourth PixelJunk game and easily one of the best. It may be short, but it's a finely crafted experience that looks, sounds, and plays like an absolute joy. I only wish there were more.
Full disclosure: Sony provided us with a voucher code to download PixelJunk Shooter for free.
