Rating of
4.5/5
When is a SHMUP not a SHMUP?
Nelson Schneider - wrote on 02/20/11
“PixelJunk Shooter” is the fourth in the line of 2D throwback games released exclusively on PSN by Q-Games. With the exception of their first attempt, PixelJunk games have gleaned a lot of praise and respect for Q-Games, largely due to the fact that, while each PixelJunk game ostensibly belongs to an existing genre (specifically isometric racer, tower defense, platformer, and SHMUP), they each put a unique twist on their genre's traditional gameplay to make something unique. “PixelJunk Shooter” is no exception.
Presentation
In this day and age of videogames that try to look like movies, “PixelJunk Shooter” is unapologetic in the fact that it looks like a videogame. The game is rendered entirely in glorious 2D using vector-based graphics. The graphics engine makes “PixelJunk Shooter” look a bit like a Flash game, but the vectors provide much cleaner scaling than that provided by traditional sprite-based 2D, thus the game looks amazing and smooth in full 1080p. Also, unlike many modern game developers, Q-Games isn't afraid of color. “PixelJunk Shooter,” like all of the other games in the PixelJunk series, is full of vibrant hues and quirky designs. The player's mothership looks like a large, yellow whale, while the individual ships that are the focus of the gameplay resemble flies. Some of the enemies look vaguely reminiscent of the enemies from other PixelJunk titles, but there are plenty of new creatures as well, including some huge, screen-filling bosses.
The sound in “PixelJunk Shooter” is somewhat odd. The sound effects are nicely done and fit well with the visuals. The music, on the other hand, is downright strange, with sections of spoken (not sung) lyrics that are complete non-sequiturs, such as “tranquilizers are drugs,” and “this song will have greater meaning to you once you have finished your education in the mystery religion.” The music isn't bad, but there were many times when I was left shaking my head in slack-jawed dismay at the weirdness. Overall, the music, while weird, is significantly better than that found in “PixelJunk Eden,” and on par with that of “PixelJunk Monsters.”
Story
“PixelJunk Shooter” begins with an unskippable story sequence that tells the tale of how humanity has used up all of the Earth's resources and must continuously expand throughout the universe in search of more. The main character, a nameless pilot from the salvage ship Ers Pinita Colada, receives a distress call from the colony of 540 scientists and miners working to extract energy from the planet Apoxus Prime. The pilot boards a small exploration craft and descends beneath the planet's surface.
Throughout the game, further story exposition is given through dialog boxes from “special” scientists/miners who actually have names. These special survivors are easily discernable from the others by the fact that they wear different-colored space suits and wave flags above their heads.
“PixelJunk Shooter” ends on a cliffhanger, with a large “TO BE CONTINUED...” displayed on-screen after the end credits. Thanks in large part to the fact that two previous PixelJunk games have received “Encore” expansion packs, it would make sense that “PixelJunk Shooter” will receive one too, at some point in the future. However, Q-Games has gotten themselves into a pickle by noting that the colony on Apoxus Prime has a population of 540, which is exactly the number of survivors that can be rescued in a perfect playthrough of the base game. Perhaps the inevitable “Encore” will not involve rescuing people, or perhaps the original population of the colony will need to be rescued a second time.
Gameplay
What makes “PixelJunk Shooter” stand head-and-shoulders above its peers on PSN is the fact that it appears to be a traditional SHMUP game, but then throws in exploration gameplay and puzzles that would seem more natural in a classic 2D Zelda title than in a game descended from “Gradius.” In a world where SHMUPs have become increasingly focused on “bullet-hell” gameplay, where the player has only a tiny safe spot in which to hide from enemy projectiles, “PixelJunk Shooter” is decidedly low-key.
Where most SHMUPs give the player a handful of lives to see how far they can push their tiny ship that can be destroyed with a single shot, “PixelJunk Shooter” gives the player unlimited lives and a novel approach to damage. Instead of being destroyed in one hit or having a traditional life gauge, “PixelJunk Shooter” features a heat gauge. Enemy projectiles and environmental hazards, as well as the player's own heat-seeking missiles, heat up the ship's hull. There are a number of ways to cool off: soaking in water, spinning, or just avoiding heat for a while. If the ship overheats, it loses propulsion and will explode on impact with anything but water. Destruction of the ship sets the player back to the beginning of that scene, with a handful of scenes making up the contents of one stage. Likewise, accidentally killing five survivors in a stage results in having to start over from the beginning of that stage. Collecting 100 of the Star Coins that litter the stages grants a 1-up, which essentially forgives one slain survivor, but doesn't allow that survivor to count toward earning a “Perfect Rescue” for that stage.
The controls in “PixelJunk Shooter” are simple, yet at the same time rarely used in the genre. The left analog stick moves the ship while the right analog stick controls the direction it faces. The R shoulder buttons (both of them) fire normal shots when pressed or heat seekers when held. The L shoulder buttons (both of them) launch the ships grappling arm, which is used to pick-up survivors and treasure. I found it to be incredibly novel to fly in one direction while shooting behind my ship, or stealthily rescuing a survivor, then pivoting to blow away an enemy lurking above. Rotating the right stick 360-degrees causes the ship to spin, which can deflect enemy shots, attracts Star Coins, and allows the ship to burrow through soft rock when finesse is required.
“PixelJunk Shooter” isn't a particularly long game, featuring three areas, each containing five stages. Each stage contains 36 survivors and a different amount of treasure (in the form of diamonds). Collecting the required amount of treasure unlocks more levels and allows progress through the game.
One of the core gameplay components of “PixelJunk Shooter” is the interaction of various environmental components with each other. The game starts off with the simple interaction between magma and water to form soft volcanic rock that is easily destroyed by the ship's gun. Later in the game, other environmental hazards appear, such as exploding gas, ice that rapidly freezes water and melt under magma, and a magnetic oil that becomes gas when exposed to water. The player must craftily utilize the environments in each stage to gain access to survivors (but not kill them) and search for the multitude of treasure hidden throughout the stages. The liquid physics are well-implemented and realistic, splashing and flowing just they way they should. The liquid physics become exceptionally interesting when the player acquires one of the temporary upgrade “suits” for the ship that are scattered throughout the game. Each of these upgrades lasts for but a single scene, but they all provide interesting abilities. The Magma Suit allows the ship to fire magma instead of missiles and allows the grappling hook to pick-up dirt. The Water Suit allows the ship to fire water instead of missiles and allows the grappling hook to pick-up ice. The Inverter Suit causes the ship to run on heat, allowing it to plunge into magma but causing it to take damage from the cold. The Magnet Suit reverses the ship's engine polarity, causing it to push oil away instead of attracting it.
In a move that I wish more modern developers would make, “PixelJunk Shooter” features two-person, simultaneous local multi-player. Player One gets a yellow ship while Player Two gets a green one. The ships can run into each other, but can't shoot each other, which makes cooperation necessary, but doesn't lead to frustration from too many friendly-fire deaths. It is great fun to play with gamer friends as well as non-gamer friends due to the cooperative nature of the gameplay and the fact that the stronger player can easily pick up the slack for the weaker player.
Overall
“PixelJunk Shooter” is a SHMUP that is not a SHMUP due to its exploration elements, puzzle elements, and ease of progression. It is also the best game in the PixelJunk line to date, and one of the strongest exclusive games on the PlayStation Network. The low price of $10 should allow anyone, even the most skeptical, to try out this true gem of a downloadable game. If only Q-Games would release the entire PixelJunk line on one Blu-ray disc... perhaps sometime in the future. For now, I recommend “PixelJunk Shooter” to everyone and eagerly await the announcement of “PixelJunk Shooter Encore.”
Presentation: 4.5/5
Story: 2.5/5
Gameplay: 5/5
Overall (not an average): 4.5/5
