Game Details
- Publisher: Plug In Digital
- Developer: Flying Oak Games
- ESRB Rating: “E” for Everyone
- Genre: Twin Stick Shooter
- Pros: Looks and sounds awesome; excellent gameplay; addictive loot and customization system; co-op
- Cons: You will die … a lot; no online play
- MSRP: $14
NeuroVoider is a roguelike RPG where death comes early and
often and every time you die you have to create a new character and start over.
The objective is to fight your way through 25 levels and beat the final boss.
Your reward for that? Taking your character over to New Game+ and doing it all
over again. For roguelike games to be successful they have to hit a fine
balance of addictive gameplay and satisfying rewards that compel you to keep
playing death after death after death until you learn how to play properly. I
can happily report that NeuroVoider totally nails it.
Your character is basically a brain in a highly customizable
robot body. You can choose from different pieces and parts for your little
robot that change their movement speed, HP, how much energy they have, special
abilities, weapon types, and more. After every level you complete you’ll have a
brand new pile of loot to sort through to customize your robot with and the
whole process is surprisingly addictive. Wanna build a HP sponge tank? Do it.
Wanna play as a nimble and fast robot that teleports through bullets and around
enemies? Do it. Want to focus on melee? Do it. Want to blast screen clearing
nukes in every direction? Do it. NeuroVoider overwhelms you with new parts to
bolt on and a ton of different weapon types to play with. When you die it’s
just a good excuse to try a totally different build and new weapon combo and
have more fun.
The gameplay in NeuroVoider is basically a very solid
twin-stick shooter. You move around with one analog stick and aim with the
other, then shoot your two weapon types with the two triggers. You only have a
finite amount of energy, however, so just holding down the fire buttons without
letting it recharge in between shots will blow through your energy stash and
leave you vulnerable for a few seconds. Those few seconds are all the A.I.
enemies need to swarm around and kill you. Once you get into the rhythm of the
gameplay, though, NeuroVoider feels really good. The controls are responsive
and precise and it just plays really, really well. Because the levels are
procedurally generated, and you have such a wide range of build options, the
game has a ton of variety that will keep you coming back for more and more.
NeuroVoider gets even better when you play co-op with
friends. The game is definitely playable and fun solo, but playing couch co-op
with up to four players makes it even crazier. Making complimentary builds and
working as a team is just awesome. It is a bit of a shame that there isn’t an
online co-op option, but we’re not that fussed about it.
Presentation in NeuroVoider is pretty fantastic all around.
The game has a retro sprite-based aesthetic and looks really good. It has a
similar look to Hyper Light Drifter. They did a great job making all of the
enemies and bullets flying all over the screen – it’s basically a bullet hell
game at times – really distinct so you know exactly where everything is, where
the bullets are coming from, and how to avoid them. Bright neon colors dominate
the palate and it looks great. NeuroVoider also sounds great, too, with a
thumping synth soundtrack.
All in all, NeuroVoider is a pretty great little indie
that I can’t recommend enough. I initially checked it out because I loved the way it looked
and the music in the trailers was awesome, but the satisfying gameplay and
addictive upgrade loop really hooked me. And it only gets better in co-op.
NeuroVoider is a fantastic hybrid shooter / roguelike that I highly recommend
for a purchase.
Disclosure: A review code was provided by the publisher.
