There’s been a coven of twin stick shooters released for the Playstation 4, but the genre has rather stalled lately, in the place of platformers, multiplayer indies, and general 2D undertakings. Because of this, I’ve quenched for any ways to get back into the genre, without having to play through stuff I’ve always completed or taking a path into the more nostalgic territories (NES,SNES,etc) Argentinian developer Ravegan is looking to fuel these passions again with Blue Rider, and it’s their biggest title in quite a while. So does the ambition pay off?
Gameplay:
Blue Rider emphasizes a lot of nostalgia from it’s influences, but not in the way that many would expect. This is because the classic bullet hell gameplay matches brilliantly with the innovative level design. In fact, it’s one of the few indie games I’ve played recently where going from level to level is literally seamless, and not hampered by any distractions.
Story & Design:
Blue Rider perfects it’s gameplay structure and flow, but better yet, this isn’t the only thing it knows how to excel at. The difficulty is finely tuned, making sure every player knows how to take the right risks and when (because there are a lot of one-hits) When this aspect is mixed with great enemy variety that always leaves you on your toes, it’s hard to find things to complain about.
Presentation/ Visuals & Audio:
Blue Rider’s presentation is it’s weakest characteristic, but by no means bad. The 60fps frame-rate is top-notch, but is slightly decimated by hiccups or the occasional crash. (Which is even more devastating during the outstanding boss fights) On top of this, there isn’t much replay value, but that isn’t to say you don’t get bang for your buck.
Conclusion:
Blue Rider is a refreshing twin-stick shooter that takes influences and innovates at the same time. It’s the best blend between these ideas I’ve seen in ages, although I do wish it was expanded more and wasn’t so choppy here and there. Besides that, it’s hard not to have fun with such a well-managed shooter.
Blue Rider gets a 8/10 (Very Good)
We’d like to thank Ravegan for giving us a code!
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