Rebel Galaxy

Rating: 8.5

Happy Price: 19.99

Gameplay

Rebel Galaxy has many things going on, and many things are done well. You start the game as a guy with a spaceship, and from that point on build yourself as a pirate, mercenary, merchant, miner or space do gooder. Adopting many professions usually suits the player best.

Combat

Combat is done with a naval style setup where the player has to position themselves parallel to the opponent to use the main broadside turrets. Players can use the smaller turrets if they want, but it proves to be difficult to maneuver when doing so, so that method is seldom used. Essentially you outfit your spaceship with a bunch of turrets that automatically target enemies, while you the player control the broadside guns or cannons. This way you can aim and control the ship at the same time. There is good mix of enemies during most battles, usually consisting of many small fighters and a couple of large destroyer ships. It makes for fun battles as you strategically place yourself in position to take out the smaller ships and gradually working toward taking out the bigger ships.

There are many weapons to pick from, each excelling in different attributes. Some weapons excel at distance but have limited fire rate. Some have better shield penetration or hull penetration. Combining these weapons together to create balance is key to success at outfitting a great ship. Some of the more powerful weapons to pick from have an ammo count, so it requires the player to replenish their ordinance at outposts which cost resources. This effects players on long missions where they can possibly run out of ammo with one of their most reliable and go to weapons. Balancing these things is key, especially early on in the game.

Economy

The economy fluctuates allowing the player to buy low and sell high. Early on in the game, this can make quite the difference. Making 10,000 on a deal can be the difference when buying a weapon that costs 45,000. However, later in the game this goes away as weapons and ships cost millions of dollars, while margins on products remain the same. That aside, there are news boards that tell you if there is a surplus or deficit somewhere so you can capitalize on what items you have in your hull. The annoying part about that is, it becomes difficult to search for planets to actually execute your trades. By the time you travel across the galaxy or star system, you may get there and the economic status has changed. It can be a time waster, so most of the time I would stop at outposts when it was convenient and hope the odds were in my favor. I found this to be pretty efficient, but it's nice to have the option and information at your fingertips to take advantage of certain economies on different space stations.

I found a great way to make money was mining early to mid game, as you find valuables without having to pay anything. Mining lasers also serve as weapons against enemy craft, so using this saves money in more than one way. Late game, I found the best way was to take on large bounties and hope that the enemy was carrying a turret or defense modification that could be worth millions. Bounties would earn about 60k, while the weapon they dropped could be added to my ship or sold for a ton of money.

Story and Dialogue 

The story is straight forward but has some missing gaps in between, and some things remain unresolved. It doesn't detract much from the gameplay though, since you're focused on so many other things. I used my imagination to fill in the gaps of the story, and it made for a good one. With a fleshed out script the story has great potential and even though it wasn't realized, I don't think it mattered much. For every ship you hail, you do have the choices to either give up your goods or take the goods of an enemy. If you approach another pirate, your only option is to drop your cargo for a peaceful exit. For a trader, you have the option to buy/sell from them, or have them give up all their stuff. There is a penalty for this however, as you will lose faction points from citizens and the military. It is not wise to do this, since most side missions are given by citizens or the military, and siding with pirates yields high rewards but it's difficult to come across missions from them. Having the choice to be a crime seeking pirate or an up class space citizen is fun and encourages replayability.

Soundtrack 

The soundtrack fits the game very well. It's a country rock theme that bodes well with rebellious nature of the game. The songs loop over and over again, but they are not overpowering and are nice to listen to when on long hauls. I would imagine a mercenary from the 1700's on a horse hunting someone down would listen to this type of music, it's edgy but southern. I honestly could not tell you what the lyrics are saying, but the tone of them seems to serenade you with the struggles you face over and over again as you trek through space. It helps combat the loneliness of being on a ship traveling from star system to star system all by yourself in a delightful way. 

Summary

This game is a hidden gem. There are some technical issues with missions that require escorts, and the final mission which is very frustrating. Had those technical issues not been present, this game is an easy 9. I can't let those things slide though, as they took away from the experience and cost me a few hours of my life (or at least it felt that way). If you're looking for a fleshed out and ambitious indie game that was completed, you have to play this game.

Azure Striker Gunvolt

Rating: 6.0
Happy Price: 9.99


Gameplay

Azure Striker Gunvolt is a 2d side scrolling action platformer that resembles the Mega Man series. The game was developed by ex Capcom employees that worked on Mega Man, so similar gameplay mechanics is expected. Generally the platforming is not interesting however the boss battles are incredibly dynamic.

Combat

Fighting your way through the different levels and environments is mildly interesting and at times can be mundane. There are less than ten enemy types that you must adapt to. Generally human soldiers with different types of guns, robotic mines, strange undead creatures in one level, and large robots that behave in predictable patterns. One of the core powers of your character is activating a force field that also deals damage. This is an incredibly powerful attack that can take out multiple enemies at once, however for most of the game you deal with enemies one on one. When the situation occurs where three enemies have to be taken out at once, it is incredibly fun and rewarding.

Character Progression

The progression system is the most broken piece to the game and it's a non existent element to the gameplay. There is a shop that has items that upgrade the character which require both in game currency and items called "synths". Synths are hidden in boxes that the player can choose from when a level is completed. When the box is open, the synth is revealed. There is no way a player can target what they are getting, therefore can't have a meaningful experience when trying to upgrade their character. It's a random affair as to what you will be able to purchase. Currency is generated when defeating enemies and is very easy to obtain. The amount gained is amplified by combos, however you never get to spend your currency if you don't have the items to construct the upgrade. I think this is suppose to encourage replaying a level, however levels aren't fun enough to replay.

Guns are obtained as you progress through the levels. I'm not quite sure what I did to obtain them, but as the game went on I had a full inventory of six guns. Four out of those six were useless, and I couldn't upgrade the two guns that were of any use because the game does not have an upgrade system for the weapons. This is incredibly annoying when there is a level in the game that requires you to defeat every single boss at one time.

Boss Battles

Each boss was unique and had to be defeated in a different fashion. This was the most fun part of the game, learning the patterns of the boss and getting better each round. Not dying on the first attempt would be world class, dying on the second attempt would be poor skill. Once the pattern was found, they are pretty easy to defeat, especially later in the game where one of your special attacks deals 33% total damage. Each boss has a different theme and personality that compliments their abilities. Unlike Mega Man, the player does not gain the abilities of the boss. Having this would be great and much more fun. The only reward you get for defeating a boss, is to have them come back later in the game all together, so you can defeat them sequentially in order. This task is nearly impossible since it's so difficult to upgrade the character.

Conclusion

Despite the fantastic artwork, there are elements to this game that are just broken. This isn't realized until the second to last level where you face all the game bosses and are severely under powered. There is also an annoying bug that doesn't remember your assigned gun, and no way to assign your secondary weapon. The game feels unfinished and has a lot of potential.