🍋🔫🍍 Review: Juicy Realms "A Fruity Shooter That Ripens Quickly" 🍒🔫🍉

Game Title: Juicy Realms

Developer: SpaceCan

Platform Reviewed: PC (Steam)

Rating: Melting

Juicy Realms is a (sort-of) top-down twin-stick shooter that can be played locally or in co-op modes. 

Set in a world where the food chain has completely altered, leaving sentient fruits and vegetables at the top of the chain and humans somewhere in the middle, it’s up to you (and possibly a friend) to load up and delve deeper in to the Plant Empire, putting a stop to their ‘seedy ways.

I’ve just played and reviewed a game which has a similar structure to Juicy Realms (Exordium Games’ Last Encounter) and although both games have very different art styles and narrative setups, both rely on heading out into the randomly-generated game world to get deeper and deeper on each successive run, unlocking weapons and items along the way.

There are four characters to choose from in the game who have different weapons and special attacks, which made me wonder why the game wasn’t four player, locked as it is to local two player co-op (it’s a small niggle but it would have added a significant fun factor to Juicy Realms as well as longevity). 

The well-presented hand-drawn graphics, colourful enemies and solid shooter mechanics all work in the games’ favour as do the quirky weapon pickups (for example, a ‘Steam’ logo that fires discount coupons) and inherent charm but I did find the game beginning to feel repetitive after a couple of hours. The game may be randomly generated but as the general goal is the game on each screen (shoot the fruit) aside from the boss battles (which are all initially big and fun, it must be said) is the same, I found myself tiring of making my way through the same few biomes to fight the bosses which I had to keep defeating time and time again.

Juicy Realms is priced quite well for the game play on offer and what is here feels well-developed and fun but I just wish there was more variety in the game beyond the weapons. Maybe some side-quests or a save system to choose which section you wish to head off in to remove the need to re-fight the same bosses over and over. 

I played the game in single player mode for this review, as I wasn’t able to arrange a co-op night and that may tarnish my view in that it could transform in the local co-op mode, but it still wouldn’t change my opinion of the game when played in single player.

Summary

Juicy Realms has a lot going for it, it has a very intuitive control scheme and the graphics are hand-crafted and feel unique, there’s also a nice sense of humour in the game and the readable notes that you can pick up add some depth to the story but I did find my attention wavering after a couple of hours and it is mainly this aspect that stops it from feeling like a must-play title. 

It’s a fun, light-hearted game that will pass a few hours by enjoyably well, but don’t expect to be playing it in a few weeks’ time.

Right, I’m off to make a smoothie.

 

💧❄️ RATING: MELTING ❄️💧

Ratings Explained

ICE COOL (Great Game Recommended)

MELTING (Recommended with reservations, one to consider if you are a fan of the genre)

MELTED (Not A Recommended Purchase)

 Review By Britt