Resogun Review: Good Old Arcade Style Fun.

Pull your hair out frustrating but a hell of a lot of fun; that describes Resogun and trust me once you start…you’ll never want to stop.

This game is a colossal bargain being IGN’s best PS4 game of 2013 and being completely free (as long as you are subscribed to PS Plus which you really should be, let’s be honest). For the total of £0.00 you get an intense 2D Asteroids-esque shooter where you have to free and save civilians while fighting off an army of aptly equipped invading ships; highlighted by a heavy vibrant techno theme that will tantalize your eyes while you battle through the very difficult stages.

Did I mention the graphics are amazing, not only the fantastic art direction Resogun has taken but the particle effects that are in full use. Especially when a building is destroyed in the background, flooding the screen with debris flying from all directions, creating intricate patterns that really does show off the PS4’s potential with all the effects being directly handled by the PS4’s new GPU.

Looks aren’t everything though so it’s a really good job the mechanics of the game are spot on. Having to save the civilians is an ingenious play by Housemarque as it pushes the player out of their comfort zone; making them adventure to dangerous zones instead of staying in one area that they have cleared out and can stay safe for the majority of the game without striving too far around the city. This incentive to dash into a whole horde of enemies, dodging and destroying ships left and right while catching a civilian and throwing them to safety creates some real badass moments that are even further enhanced by the fantastic music Resogun delivers. This electronic, retro style, Daft Punk-esque, theme fits in perfectly with the overall atmosphere of the game but adds a powerful heroic feeling; filling you with inspiration to not stop and never give up until all the civilians are saved and the invaders purged from this crumbling city of techno themed epic-ness.

This game is accessible for gamers of any skill level with simple controls that can be mastered. Resogun utilizes the dual analogue sticks, one to control the ships direction the other the direction of your shots, and the shoulder buttons are used for special moves, e.g. the bomb that cleans the whole city of enemies for an invaluable few seconds of peace. The game is easy enough for anyone to grasp but, if you choose, can become a challenge for any seasoned gamer to happily overcome.

However this instant classic does come with some small desired improvements such as the amount of levels. There are only 5 levels in total making it easy to experience the whole game within around 2 to 3 hours, depending on the difficulty you choose to play on. Though it should be mentioned Resogun is a very replay-able game; enticing you to best your and everyone else’s scores or beat every level on the hardest difficulty while saving all the civilians and loosing no lives or using any bombs; it’s fair to say there’s a lot to do in this game for anyone who gets captivated by its addictive but simple gameplay.

[UPDATE: DLC is in the works for Resogun hopefully adding more levels – giving us more awesome times on the game and resolving my only notable issue with the game]

So overall this game is a blast and anyone with a PS4 needs to have this downloaded onto their system (its free so there’s no excuse). Whether you play for 5 hours straight or just 20 minutes you’ll always come away from Housemarque’s game satisfied and excited for the next time you take control of that little but powerful ship.

Resogun = 9/10