Twin Stick Shooter Archives - Tech-Gaming

Savant – Ascent REMIX mini-review

Robert Allen — Sat, 07 Oct 2023 22:45:12 +0000

Showing my enemies what a good beat is like. Savant – Ascent REMIX offers a curious twist on the twin-stick shooter. In keeping with the genre, you’ll use the right analog nub to aim bullets at enemies. But the left stick isn’t used for movement in a conventional way. Instead of an overhead standpoint, Ascent’s ...

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Dust & Neon review

Robert Allen — Wed, 30 Aug 2023 03:32:37 +0000

I’m a cowboy…on steel legs, I stride. Twin-stick shooters with roguelike qualities are pervasive on Steam. But with invigorating play mechanics, ample rewards for perseverance, and an aesthetic that balances style with performance, Dust & Neon aspires to stand out from the crowd. Largely, David Marquardt, the one-man studio behind apps like Pull My Tongue, Fluffy, Glitch Dash, and Hexaflip, ...

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NeverAwake (Xbox Series S/X) review

Robert Allen — Tue, 11 Jul 2023 22:40:51 +0000

Don’t sleep on NeverAwake, which provides an engaging, unexpectedly adaptable twin-stick shooting journey through a young girl’s psyche. NeverAwake is a twin-stick shooter set in a world of surrealistic dreams. Visually, the game is distinctive, with sizable sprites and bosses that habitually fill the screen. Each of the game’s 80 stages positions you inside the subconscious of ...

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Tiny Troopers: Global Ops review

Robert Allen — Tue, 14 Mar 2023 21:08:50 +0000

Global Ops doesn’t radically improve on the formula of its predecessors, so expect simple, twin-stick firefights propelled by the urge to power up your pint-sized soldiers. Since the series’ 2012 debut, Tiny Troopers have trudged forward, much like each game’s diminutive soldiers. Following an auspicious debut on mobile, where the original game received over a ...

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Dust & Neon review

Robert Allen — Tue, 21 Feb 2023 03:31:32 +0000

I’m a cowboy…on steel legs I stride… Twin-stick shooters with roguelike qualities are pervasive on Steam. But with invigorating play mechanics, ample rewards for perseverance, and an aesthetic that balances style with performance, Dust & Neon aspires to stand out from the crowd. Largely, David Marquardt, the one-man studio behind apps like Pull My Tongue, ...

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Lone Ruin review

Robert Allen — Fri, 13 Jan 2023 15:12:39 +0000

Ironically, Lone Ruin lacks that magic. Games are routinely iterative. Instead of inventing an original concept, developers often deliver variations of existing works. Take Vampire Survivors, which ingeniously fused mechanics from roguelike and bullet hell genres. The game felt innovative upon its Early Access release in late 2021 and its breakout popularity spawned a multitude ...

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The Knight Witch review

Robert Allen — Fri, 02 Dec 2022 20:00:11 +0000

Whether you choose shooting or spellcasting, The Knight Witch will kick your ass. Persevering will depend on how well you handle frustration. Every era has several dominant genres. During the 1980’s shoot ‘em ups and platformers were pervasive, just as fighting games and racers filled the ‘90s. While contemporary gaming is a bit more pluralist, ...

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NeverAwake review

Robert Allen — Mon, 03 Oct 2022 01:52:57 +0000

Don’t sleep on NeverAwake, which provides an engaging, surprisingly adaptable twin-stick shooting journey through a young girl’s psyche. NeverAwake is a twin-stick shooter set in a world of surrealistic dreams. Visually, the game is distinctive, with sizable sprites and bosses that habitually fill the screen. Each of the game’s 80 stages positions you inside the ...

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Wildcat Gun Machine review

Robert Allen — Thu, 05 May 2022 04:00:09 +0000

Wildcat Gun Machine’s tonality is as ridiculous as its title. Artwork shifts from ‘conceivably cute’ during gameplay to “serious” on the upgrade screen. Sometimes, you’re side-stepping bullets that look like pink bubbles. In other moments, you’re gathering bones from corpses. When applied to a run-of-the-mill, twin-stick shooter, there’s little reason to adopt this kitty. ...

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Riveting but Not Quite Revolutionary: An Early Look at Uragun (PC)

Robert Allen — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 02:41:59 +0000

Uragun, the inaugural effort from Warsaw-based Kool2Play, imagines a dystopian future overrun by artificial intelligence. Currently in Early Access, the game’s exposition is skeletal, with a brief prologue and a few lines of disrespect uttered by a succession of bosses. But the shortage of storytelling might be a good thing, as Uragun’s play seems more ...

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Twin-Stick Substance: Synthetik 2 previewed

Robert Allen — Tue, 28 Dec 2021 01:17:56 +0000

Craving twin-stick action that’s a bit more cerebral than most reflex-driven titles? Synthetik 2 builds on the engaging foundations of its 2018 predecessor, requiring a quick trigger finger and more importantly, a prudent plan of attack. When it comes to twin-sticker shooters, I’m shamefully indiscriminative, trying every single new title I can get my eager ...

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The Riftbreaker review

Robert Allen — Mon, 25 Oct 2021 17:21:11 +0000

Combining elements from real-time strategy, twin-stick shooters, survival, and tower defense genres, The Riftbreaker is ambitious. Perhaps overly so. But if you’re seeking a game that will keep your brain engrossed as you juggle multiple projects, EXOR Studios’ latest deserves consideration. Immediately after landing on Galatea 37, intensity escalates for Captain Ashley S. Nowak. Tasked ...

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The Ascent review

Robert Allen — Fri, 06 Aug 2021 00:26:57 +0000

With absorbing combat and bewitching atmospherics, The Ascent is one of the best action games of the year, easily outstripping the efforts of much larger studios. Cyberpunk imagines a dystopian setting where high and low technologies sharply intersect. Society is marred by violence, where rival factions threaten to topple a precarious balance of power. Whether ...

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Trigger Witch review

Robert Allen — Wed, 04 Aug 2021 00:04:17 +0000

Trigger Witch is a remarkable amalgam, shrewdly mixing twin-stick gunplay, exploration, and even some shoot ‘em up action. Despite a few hiccups, the different ingredients gel together as seamlessly as a magic potion. Over the last decade, role-playing mechanics have creeped into almost every genre. From sports games that task players with gradually improving the ...

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Godstrike review

Robert Allen — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 16:51:50 +0000

Godstrike’s merger of twin-stick shooting, bullet-hell evasion, and a boss rush format seems enticing in theory. But in execution, the title isn’t quite as innovative or as fun as you might expect. Godstrike follows the industry trend of delivering an unflinching level of challenge. Unless you’re a shoot ‘em up prodigy, you’ll probably parish several ...

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SturmFront – The Mutant War: Übel Edition review

Robert Allen — Sat, 03 Apr 2021 18:52:40 +0000

With the kind of pixelated, pugnacious action found in nineties arcades, SturmFront – The Mutant War: Übel Edition offers a respectable amount of bang for your buck. During the eighties and nineties, arcades offered one of the best forms of pure escapism. With a few dollars in your pocket, kids and teens could enter one ...

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SYNTHETIK: Ultimate review

Robert Allen — Thu, 24 Dec 2020 06:17:54 +0000

SYNTHETIK: Ultimate wants you to unlearn some of the techniques that most twin-sticker shooters employ. This game is less about unrealistic circle-strafing, and quickly darting out of cover with a full magazine, guns blazing. At first glance, SYNTHETIK resembles just another roguelike, twin-stick shooter. With only a modicum of Terminator-esque storytelling to slow things down, ...

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Tesla Force review

Robert Allen — Thu, 03 Dec 2020 22:17:51 +0000

Tesla Force isn’t a vast improvement over 2018’s Tesla vs Lovecraft, nor does it show off the power of the Xbox Series S/X. But it’s certainly a solid experience for those seeking relentless arcade-style action. Specialization can be a successful approach for a developer. Whether it’s Polyphony Digital honing their automotive racing expertise across the ...

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Bartlow’s Dread Machine review

Robert Allen — Wed, 30 Sep 2020 03:58:22 +0000

1907’s best electromechanical amusement imagines would twin-stick shooters would look like at the local penny arcade. While you’ll adore Bartlow’s Dread Machine’s context, the game’s action is just a bit less likable. For years, writers have envisaged elaborate worlds inside of computers, across works like TRON and Wreck It-Ralph. Bartlow’s Dread Machine drops back further ...

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Neon Abyss review

Robert Allen — Wed, 15 Jul 2020 22:27:06 +0000

Take the variability of The Binding of Isaac but re-interpret the title as a side-scrolling shooter and you’ll have a good idea of what to expect from Neon Abyss. While the concept isn’t completely original, in execution, there’s enjoyment to be found. The old warning about having too much of a good thing undoubtedly applies ...

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