Have you ever wondered what it would be liked to play your favorite shoot ?em up in reverse, watching the enemy ships you?ve just destroyed come back to life, while you reabsorb the shots you?ve just fired, and dodge enemy bullets from behind your ship that you had dodged previously? What about doing this timed to beats of electronic musician Nautilis? How about with some Guitar Hero/Rock Band elements infused as well?
Yeah, not really something I had thought of either, but sometimes it?s nice to get something you didn?t even know you wanted. And that?s pretty much what Retro/Grade, arriving this week on the PSN, is. It?s a rhythm based shoot ?em up, wherein you control the tiny spacecraft belonging to one Rick Rocket, who at the onset of the game has just saved the universe from utter annihilation, only to endanger the world through a rip in the space-time continuum.
Rick?s previously fired shots head down these lanes, color coded red, blue, green, yellow, and orange, and you?ll need to line your ship up to these shots in order to re-absorb them by tapping X on your controller, or if you want, dust off and turn on your guitar controller to replicate the effect of playing a song. Either method seems to work pretty well, but if you opt to play on the hardest difficulty the game has to offer, I honestly think you?re better off doing so with the guitar.
Rick isn?t entirely defenseless, as occasional power-ups will come along that allow him to stay shielded for a limited amount of time, re-heal his ship, or even loop time so that you can re-do a section you might have messed up. Each successfully absorbed shot, or dodged enemy bullet is eating away at Rick?s previous high score, and you?ll be trying to compete via online leaderboards to see who can actually get the LOWEST score as opposed to the highest. Just like other familiar rhythm games, multipliers will start to stack up, and there?s a power-up that allows you to fill something similar to star power, that?ll double your multiplier for a short amount of time.
My only real complaint I have to level against the game is that when you activate the score multiplier power-up it turns the contrast way up on the screen, and in some of the more hectic situations it becomes nearly impossible to track incoming shots, as they?ll blend in with enemy shots in a way that makes them frustratingly difficult to see. I actually found myself holding off on using the ability, often times not using it all, which is certainly not the intent. Perhaps it?s something you?ll get used to after an extended amount of time playing the game, but a less distracting visual effect would have better for me.
Overall, Retro/Grade is a wholly unique experience in both genres that it represents, and is well worth your time. If you have any interest in rhythm games or shoot ?em ups, you should do yourself a favor and check this out. Also, the soundtrack provided by Nautilis is pretty great, and if you?re familiar with his work, there?s a bundle package that?ll net you the game and soundtrack at a reduced cost. Either way, definitely check this one out.
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