Rock Gunar is a normal guy who just loves his rock music. He’s also a dab hand with a heavy machine gun.
So when the time comes to save the world from an alien menace, Gunar is your man!
But why does this one loner need to worry himself with so much effort? Well, when the Infini Corp come calling and ask that Rock destroy the alien hordes threatening the very existence of mankind, it’s pretty hard for him to turn down such a request – especially when he is humanity’s last hope. Mind you, the story and why so much blood and guts is being spilt really isn’t important, for this is most definitely a game that lets you sit back to enjoy the show. Albeit a short show.
The gameplay in Let Them Come is super simple. With Mr Gunar sitting pretty on the left hand side of the screen, fully entrenched behind his placed heavy machine gun, all you are left to do is hold down the left trigger for auto fire, and point that damn gun in the direction of the waves and waves of alien forces that come your way. Initially things seem a bit twitchy, and, after a quick death or two, you’ll no doubt wonder how you’re ever going to save the world. But once you get your head around the fact that you don’t need to be precision perfect with your shooting, you will easily get on with things.
As you would expect, the enemy types that are coming the way of Rock are varied. Some stagger towards you slowly while others come quickly, running your way on suicide missions. Others will crawl on the ceilings whilst more still will hold back behind shields. Even with the pixelated style the development team at Tuatara Games have decided upon, the variation is good and ensures you need to occasionally up your tactics a bit, dropping back from the machine gun to throw out the odd grenade or melee attack.
But unless you play around with the huge array of weapon and skills upgrades that Rock has access to, certain foes will seem near indestructible.
Thankfully though upgrades are in plentiful supply – at least should you manage to destroy enough enemies and collect their cash rewards. You see when you die you get full access to the inventory, letting you buy and upgrade your skills and weaponry. This may mean you get access to a faster firing, quicker cooling weapon, a stronger armour set or more health. Additionally alongside the standard unlimited bullets you fire, you can also equip the likes of frost bullets, incendiary bullets, armour piercing bullets and more.
You can also take a number of grenades and melee attacks to the alien party with numerous types of each all equipable. A good mix of attack options is the only way you’re going to finish off the forces and there is always a degree of trial and error included. Some stages will catch you completely off guard, overwhelming the screen with masses of opponents which in turn sees your destruction. It is about then when it becomes obvious that a different approach is needed.
Combo making is another key component of Let Them Come and should you manage to fill your combo meter by keeping the hordes at bay, you will get a choice of three time limited super powers. These will double your score, give you more health, resupply your ‘nades or drop a drone or two onto your team. The options are seemingly random, but all you need to worry about is that every single addition is a helpful one and should never be ignored.
So, shoot anything that moves, grab some cash, die, upgrade your weapons and rinse and repeat is pretty much the name of the game. But lurking in and amongst the waves of enemies are the bosses of Let Them Come.
And these really are a different kettle of fish.
Whilst you could, in theory, battle your way past the smaller enemies with any weapon set from Rock’s arsenal, each boss will require a specific tactic. With them delightfully named – a personal favourite is Limby the tentacle flailing squid-type guy – and all able to dish out massive damage, learning the best course of action is your only hope. They are tough propositions, but it is hugely rewarding to understand the complexities of each one and finally find a system that finishes them off, ensuring that Gunar’s mission to save the world is a successful one.
With a decent choice of backing tracks booming out of Rock’s boombox and pushing you to glory, there really isn’t much to dislike about Let Them Come. It occasionally all gets a bit too frantic, but there is rarely ever any slowdown in the action, no matter how many enemies are on screen at the same time. But once the man himself has dragged his stereo and weaponry from one world to the next and taken down the five bosses who have decided to give you a bit of stick, what exactly is there to do? Well, for me? Not a lot. And that’s a shame.
That’s not to say there isn’t anything to keep you busy, because there is. But whether you’ll feel the need to is another question entirely. On a personal level, the enjoyment found in the few hours it takes to defeat the main campaign is more than enough, but the draw of a New Game Plus mode is also quite enticing. I’m not usually one to ever bother playing through things once a story is over and the credits have rolled, but with the level lights turned off, plunging you into darkness, and the level of difficulty increased, this is worth a little shot.
I’m also not one who particularly enjoys dropping back in to battle the same old bosses without the worry of their minions either, and the independent boss battles do seem a little tacked on. Granted, the additional Challenge mode which gives you a set amount of cash so you can sort some basic kit, before attempting to battle more waves and get yourself placing on leaderboards ain’t bad, but when the main story and campaign is so addictive, everything else falls by the wayside.
I have to admit that my first few minutes with Let Them Come left me less than impressed. But then, some three hours, 10,000 dead enemies, and 100 odd waves of blood and gore later, I fully understand the fun, the addiction and the draw. At least of the main campaign.
You’re not going to be playing Let Them Come weeks and months down the line. In fact, you may not bother heading back for alien bashing even a couple of days after your purchase, but should you be looking for a game that brings a hugely addictive hit for a single evening, then Let Them Come is well worth checking out. Especially at the price.