Game Title: Super Mutant Alien Assault - Developer: Cybernate - Platform Reviewed: Switch
Billed by the developers as ‘The Citizen Kane of Super Crate Box clones’
(A game I have never played and so am unable to comment on)
Super Mutant Alien Assault puts you in the shoes of a lowly security droid (or two, in the case of the local co-op mode) that has to clear out waves of enemies in a series of 2D rooms whilst completing basic tasks such as carrying canisters from one machine to another or cooling generators that slowly overheat, all the while picking up a selection of random guns and grenades to help you destroy the ever-appearing alien menace.
The first thing that struck me (almost physically) about the game was the abrasive music which I had to instantly mute. The music in the game is like having a noisy, pilled-up neighbour with his windows wide open and seemed really misjudged.
That immediate gripe aside, the core gameplay is quite fun. You work your way through procedurally generated ships (all represented in a single screen) and unlock various items, equipment and weapons as you complete the tasks set out for you and hold back the aliens, who can morph into more dangerous versions and come in a really nice array of shapes and sizes with differing attack patterns.
The combat is all very horizontal with your security bot only able to shot sideways, although with a pretty neat mix of weapons from pistols to shotguns, dual machine pistols and rocket launchers, not to mention a handy selection of grenades.
I’m a sucker for unlockables in a game and I really enjoyed seeing what would be added to the random drops next, including a really cool bouncing boomerang ‘gun’ that was fun to use.
In local co-op, the game has what I like to refer to as ‘The Pang Effect’ whereby, if one player dies, the game ends and so it does get tense when one player’s health is lower than a worm’s belt and the other is doing just dandy-o, a recipe for frowning side-eye.
Summary
So, aside from the music the game is pretty solid, the visuals are colourful in all their pixelated glory and there is a lot of replay value and a good challenge….the issue for me was the longevity.
After an hour or so, although there was more to unlock, the repetition of the game got to me, although I admittedly was ‘sessioning’ it as opposed to dipping in and out.
The lack of any real depth beyond repeating and unlocking may suit people who play in handheld mode whilst commuting etc. and it is fun in local co-op but it’s not a game that I can imagine people pumping too many hours into, from what I can understand this is a Super Crate Box with more depth and so I feel pretty confident in saying if you are a fan of that game and feel like you’ve exhausted it, then this is a good next step.
However, the immediacy and simplicity of the gameplay mean that anyone can pick up and play. Good!
💧❄️ 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)
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