Zotrix Starglider review for Nintendo Switch

Given that shoot-?em-ups have been around since practically the dawn of gaming, you think that they?d be pretty hard to screw up. I?m no expert by even the most generous stretch of the imagination, but given how many iterations there have been of Space Invaders over the years, I would have assumed they were pretty easy to make.

Zotrix Starglider, however, proves my assumptions wrong.

Really, at their base, all a shmup needs to do is let you shoot and fly upwards. It doesn?t seem that complicated. But Zotrix Starglider fails miserably at half the equation. While the shooting part is pretty much what you?d expect, flying is a massive chore. Your ship can barely move from side to side at the best of times, and when you try to fly upwards — say, to avoid enemies, or to pick up a power-up — you?re asking far too much of it. Rather than smoothly gliding around the screen, you lurch from place to place, and you hope that your momentum will carry you far enough to make it where you want to go.

Honestly, there?s zero reason to pick up Zotrix Starglider, even if you?re a fan of shmups. There are dozens and dozens of them on the Switch. Even if I?ve only played a handful of them, I feel quite confident in stating that this has got to be one of the worst.

Ocean Media provided us with a Zotrix Starglider Switch code for review purposes.