⏰ In a rush? I gotchu'! ⏰
What Works:
✅ Responsive Controls: Dodging, shooting, and running feel precise and satisfying.
✅ Fun Weapon Variety: Each weapon, from the machine gun to the flamethrower, offers unique gameplay strategies.
✅ Engaging Upgrades: Permanent upgrades after each wave add depth and keep the gameplay exciting.
What Doesn't:
❌ Basic Plot: The story is minimal and doesn’t add much to the experience.
❌ Random Weapon Distribution: Random weapon drops can be frustrating and impact gameplay strategy.
❌ Difficulty Spikes: Sudden increases in difficulty and excessive screen effects can lead to unfair and frustrating deaths.
🎮 Ready, Player One
There are video game genres more forgiving than others. Some allow for an occasional slip in their formula but still remain good bets within their group. Galaxy Champions TV falls into the twin-stick “shoot ’em-up” category, a style of entertainment with little room for error. Fortunately, the professionals behind aQuadiun have polished their recipe.
🌌 Intergalactic Showdown
In a not-so-distant future, all the planets in the galaxy are ruled by a malign dictatorial hand. This supreme entity has decreed that there can only be one form of entertainment: a super-violent TV show called Galaxy Champions, where all contestants are gladiators in a deadly arena, filled with enemies to defeat, with a hefty cash prize as the ultimate reward. Think of it as a mix between The Purge and Big Brother.
📺 Plot on Pause
Unfortunately, the plot is as basic as the last comparison. Even after the Herculean task of defeating forty stages, spread across four planets, Galaxy Champions TV simply returns to the main menu. To compensate, there's also a Champions Mode, a simple survival exercise in a single arena where the number of enemies and overall difficulty increase every thirty seconds.
🔫 Precision Controls
Fortunately, the same cannot be said about the gameplay, the core of the matter and the most important aspect to analyse in this genre. All controls respond precisely to the player's demands, whether dodging, shooting, or running, and all weapons are fun and easy to use. From the machine gun to the flamethrower, each has its own unique use, and it’s in this small rock-paper-scissors game where the title’s strategy really lies. However, it suffers a bit from the random distribution of weapons in the stage, but it's an element that justifies the expression "do what you can with what you have."
🆙 Power-Up Time
Despite any battle’s modest start, the main character quickly finds themselves surrounded by creatures, some faster or more cunning than others, factors that elevate the difficulty and the sense of danger and tension. However, after the end of each wave, a small robot appears whose function is to permanently upgrade the hero. Thanks to the accumulated experience, the player can improve the weapons used or bet on useful passives.
💀 Game Over Moments
The problem is, from a certain planet onward, the difficulty spikes up ridiculously, with too many effects on screen hindering movement, combined with the always-present natural traps of the arena. This point does not improve with the use of the grenade launcher, where each explosion shakes the entire screen, filling it with explosions to the point of obstructing visibility. This crescendo of situations results in frustrating and unfair deaths, foundations for a bad gaming experience. But, with the right measure of repetition and a bit of luck, these situations are eventually avoidable.
🏆 Epic Challenge
The twin-stick “shoot ’em-up” genre sees in Galaxy Champions TV another contender with grit and courage. Unfortunately, the decision to turn its difficulty into a crutch to reinforce longevity is evident. An unnecessary decision for a video game whose overall execution is so satisfying and fun.
🌟 M I S C 🌟
◻️ 🌳 Linktree for all my stuff.
◻️ ⚠️ Review for FNintendo (RIP) from Jan 31, 2020.
◻️ 🙋♂️ More Reviews by yours truly.
◻️ 🎮 Nintendo Switch Games I’ve played.
◻️ 🧵 Follow me on Threads for updates and more.
◻️ 📜 Review #020
✨ F I N ✨
What Works:
✅ Responsive Controls: Dodging, shooting, and running feel precise and satisfying.
✅ Fun Weapon Variety: Each weapon, from the machine gun to the flamethrower, offers unique gameplay strategies.
✅ Engaging Upgrades: Permanent upgrades after each wave add depth and keep the gameplay exciting.
What Doesn't:
❌ Basic Plot: The story is minimal and doesn’t add much to the experience.
❌ Random Weapon Distribution: Random weapon drops can be frustrating and impact gameplay strategy.
❌ Difficulty Spikes: Sudden increases in difficulty and excessive screen effects can lead to unfair and frustrating deaths.
🎮 Ready, Player One
There are video game genres more forgiving than others. Some allow for an occasional slip in their formula but still remain good bets within their group. Galaxy Champions TV falls into the twin-stick “shoot ’em-up” category, a style of entertainment with little room for error. Fortunately, the professionals behind aQuadiun have polished their recipe.
🌌 Intergalactic Showdown
In a not-so-distant future, all the planets in the galaxy are ruled by a malign dictatorial hand. This supreme entity has decreed that there can only be one form of entertainment: a super-violent TV show called Galaxy Champions, where all contestants are gladiators in a deadly arena, filled with enemies to defeat, with a hefty cash prize as the ultimate reward. Think of it as a mix between The Purge and Big Brother.
📺 Plot on Pause
Unfortunately, the plot is as basic as the last comparison. Even after the Herculean task of defeating forty stages, spread across four planets, Galaxy Champions TV simply returns to the main menu. To compensate, there's also a Champions Mode, a simple survival exercise in a single arena where the number of enemies and overall difficulty increase every thirty seconds.
🔫 Precision Controls
Fortunately, the same cannot be said about the gameplay, the core of the matter and the most important aspect to analyse in this genre. All controls respond precisely to the player's demands, whether dodging, shooting, or running, and all weapons are fun and easy to use. From the machine gun to the flamethrower, each has its own unique use, and it’s in this small rock-paper-scissors game where the title’s strategy really lies. However, it suffers a bit from the random distribution of weapons in the stage, but it's an element that justifies the expression "do what you can with what you have."
🆙 Power-Up Time
Despite any battle’s modest start, the main character quickly finds themselves surrounded by creatures, some faster or more cunning than others, factors that elevate the difficulty and the sense of danger and tension. However, after the end of each wave, a small robot appears whose function is to permanently upgrade the hero. Thanks to the accumulated experience, the player can improve the weapons used or bet on useful passives.
💀 Game Over Moments
The problem is, from a certain planet onward, the difficulty spikes up ridiculously, with too many effects on screen hindering movement, combined with the always-present natural traps of the arena. This point does not improve with the use of the grenade launcher, where each explosion shakes the entire screen, filling it with explosions to the point of obstructing visibility. This crescendo of situations results in frustrating and unfair deaths, foundations for a bad gaming experience. But, with the right measure of repetition and a bit of luck, these situations are eventually avoidable.
🏆 Epic Challenge
The twin-stick “shoot ’em-up” genre sees in Galaxy Champions TV another contender with grit and courage. Unfortunately, the decision to turn its difficulty into a crutch to reinforce longevity is evident. An unnecessary decision for a video game whose overall execution is so satisfying and fun.
🌟 M I S C 🌟
◻️ 🌳 Linktree for all my stuff.
◻️ ⚠️ Review for FNintendo (RIP) from Jan 31, 2020.
◻️ 🙋♂️ More Reviews by yours truly.
◻️ 🎮 Nintendo Switch Games I’ve played.
◻️ 🧵 Follow me on Threads for updates and more.
◻️ 📜 Review #020
✨ F I N ✨