NVYVE’s latest adventure, next to their recently heavily patched P.A.M.E.L.A. is a bold and daring title that sees players fight against alien waves as they continually push forward in order to create the perfect weapon to stop the impending alien invasion. Was our gun good enough? Find out in our review.
Pros:
+Gameplay is an absolute neon-light induced delight
+Attachments change how you will approach any and every encounter
+The sound and visual designs are absolutely stunning leaving plenty more to enjoy
+Procedurally generated rooms bring a new challenge at every corner including how you will approach each encounter.
Cons:
-Minor clipping issues make it difficult to progress at times due to the dash ability
-Repetition does become a part of the game over the course of its duration
Have you ever had that one game that you enjoy because you can shut off your brain and enjoy it for the nonsensical chaos that it actually is? For me, that would be rewinding back to the games of the ’90s ranging from DOOM to something as simple as Descent. These games were ones that didn’t require all of your attention in order to play nor did they require just “tons” of skill to complete.
Now, flash forward to our modern day in gaming. Games are made to either be hard, to be thought provoking, or even slightly challenging, but not necessarily fun by any means. Sure, there are quite a few out there that do this and we’ve had the fortunate chance to experience titles such as AMID EVIL, Dusk, and even MOTHERGUNSHIP. Now, here we are. We have our latest endeavor into one such genre of games that are fun, they are somewhat challenging, but they don’t require you to be the “next big hit on Twitch” in order to play.
With that being said, I’ve been sitting here, delighted as neon-colored lasers go beaming about the map. As they do, I haven’t been able to stifle my childish excitement as it comes beaming to life. As an employee of a company known as Hypergun, a major corporation, I’m now being tasked with finding the best weapon to fight off an alien threat, one that is quickly approaching the planet we call home. In order to prepare for this invasion, I have to find the gun by running countless randomly generated simulations in order to see what possibilities await me.
The downside to it all? Well, there isn’t one outside of running through continuous simulations as my search for an all-powerful weapon that will help save my family and friends. Unfortunately for me, my boss has been riding my rear, making sure I run through each of these simulations as quickly as possible, hunting down the parts I need in order to upgrade my weapon and show its true capabilities, after all, my current one is a little drab, but I’ll tell you more about it soon enough.
Loading into the simulation itself is rather easy, all I had to do was walk right up to the chair, diving into the simulation and getting my bearings straight. Once done, it was clear what must be done, it was time for me to charge forward, it was time for me to start facing down against the simulated alien forms before me, each representing lizard-like men using their alien weaponry against me.
As you face down against them, it becomes clear what is going on. You have a chance to earn the items you need by eliminating your foes. As you earn the items needed, ranging from different attachments to the bits and hypercoins that you can find in order to purchase upgrades outside of the simulation. With these coins you can also purchase upgrades such as health and shield upgrades to better protect yourself against the alien forces.
But you may be wondering, what’s the point of all this if any at all? Well, to save humanity of course and you will do it by clearing six different levels inside the simulation, each bringing with it a chance to craft the perfect Hypergun to help you eliminate your foes. Each time you enter the simulation or start one you must go through it using the gun you are presented with from the very start depending on your class, which also means you will gain random attachments for your weapons while on the go.
There’s six different simulation levels you have to go through to craft the perfect Hypergun. That’s your goal! Each time you start a simulation you must go through it using the gun you start with, which varies on your start class, and gain random attachments along the way. Your attachments unlocked will vary, some increasing your fire rate, others increasing your damage, some stacking up allowing you to increase the usefulness of their predecessors.
But your first time in won’t be as you would expect. You will be tossed to the wolves, forcing you to face down a variety of alien forces ranging from melee fighters, chargers that are larger and bulky enemies to snipers who land their precise shots that can be a bit more lethal than expected. The most notable of all your foes will be the flying drones, ones that will lay down fires across every room and making it near impossible for you to avoid enemy attacks.
As you clear each room another in the simulation will open up, allowing you to continually move forward without much means as to a stop. As you progress through the allotted rooms, you’ll encounter a boss which will put your skills to the test. This means using your abilities, your weapons, and even your ability to watch the pattern in which your enemies attack. Just like other enemies, the boss is a formidable foe and will not go down with a simple few rounds from your weapons.
Once you beat this boss your reward is presented to you as a more efficient version of your gun compared to the one you had prior. The only downfall to how Hypergun works is the fact that it doesn’t adequately prepare you for each of the bosses you will be facing down as you progress through the game. Unlike the rogue-like games it inspires itself from, Hypergun is quite different in this aspect. Bosses feel less of a challenge than they should be and don’t really seem as if they have a “pattern” you can truly adjust to.
Again, how you approach every stage, every encounter, and every single thing that unfolds is mostly tied to each of the abilities you will have, which is ultimately determined by the class you have chosen and what abilities you will have. Each class comes with its own unique dash, its passive, and the augmentations in which you will use. Sadly, augmentations vary and are randomized and will change with your progression throughout the game.
To get to know the classes, you will need to know what weapons they will come equipped with. First up is the one I opted for, the Human Resources class who is profoundly efficient with a sniper rifle while the Lawyer is excels in close quarters combat with a shotgun. In turn, the quickest of them all is the Intern, a class that prides itself with the use of an SMG and rapid movement, allowing for quick elimination of your foes.
Each of the classes themselves do stand out from one another. For example, the late game is where it all really begins to shine and forces each of the classes to stand out among one another. The attachments you obtain do change how you will approach every situation and adds some form of weight to each encounter. The downside here is your choices are very limited. It’s almost as if you are forced to choose the weapons you use, the abilities you equip, and what attachments you pay favoritism towards.
While pushing forward, just like in MOTHERGUNSHIP, your weapon entirely depends on how you can make it more or less efficient in every encounter. You can increase your power, making every shot you take more valuable than before. In turn, you will lose your weapon’s velocity or clip size, making it less efficient than before. While this is a drawback, there are other issues that will play out, but they are purely based on the decisions you make and the attachments you choose to use to equip.
Procedural generation of every map may seem slightly disconcerting to those looking to enjoy them. Sadly, the scenery doesn’t change all that much as you blast your way through every corridor, watching the alien forces quickly crumble into nothing. Just like the tile sets, the story doesn’t have much to offer. You’ll find bits and pieces of the story here or there as data entries and logs throughout the environments that you shall explore outside of the simulation.
Sadly, the story remains limited even as you progress and only hints at the alien invasion and why, what you are doing, is absolutely wrong but do not advert to state as to why or how. The only story you really get to know is the fact you’re going to be blasting your way through all six levels of the laboratory in order to build the Hypergun that’ll stop the alien invasion that is on its way.
But it does leave a bigger question to be had: What if the Hypergun you made is ineffective? What if you are really the bad guy? What if there’s another what if? You see what I mean? There’s always an underlying situation that you may not know they answer to.
Let me be clear. My entire time was visually and audibly one of the best experiences I’ve had in recent days. With that bit aside, I ran into more bugs than I originally intended to experience. There wasn’t just one or two, but rather, a handful of them that sometimes impeded upon my attempt to progress the game. There were times when I would dash to the side, evading enemy fire only to get stuck behind an electric wall or a set of stairs, unable to move or somehow reverse the bug.
Instead, I would get shot or beat to death which would then, in turn, force a “game over”. While bugs like this were not a “all the time” ordeal, they did happen and unfortunately, they did become rather irritating when they did. They would force me to start over a good 10-20 minutes of progression when they happened, but they were something I was able to circumvent with given time.
Even with these minor irritations, Hypergun is a game with tons of potential, some lightning fast action, and an ability to continually evolve post-launch with new content, new simulations, and even bigger, better, and even meaner Hypergun‘s than before. In its current state, Hypergun is still a great game that offers a reasonable challenge for those looking for a good 10-15 hour blast. Just remember this one fact: It’s not like other rogue-like FPS titles.
HYPERGUN
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One
Edition Reviewed: PC
Developer: NVYVE Studios
Publisher: NVYVE Studios
Release Date: PC: Available Now | Consoles: TBA
Cost: Standard: $14.99
It’s still one that forces you to continually move forward, not stopping whether or not you die. It’s a game that wants to see you continually progress as you play. While boredom can set in and a little repetition will play its part, just remember, everything about this game is procedurally generated, nothing is ever the same outside of the bosses that you will fight. That’s the joy really, but I do hope there is plenty more to come with post-launch support ranging from new enemies, new tile sets, a real-world consequence for my intended actions.
Our review is based upon a retail version that was provided to us by the publisher of the game. For information about our ethics policy please click here.
Final Score: 7 out of 10
About the Writer(s):
Dustin is our native console gamer, PlayStation and Nintendo reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the boarders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, Anime, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. You can find him over on Twitter or Facebook.