Galactic Combat
There are some games which give very little away, staying purposely obscure to entice players in. And there are some games which don’t do this. Shooty McSpaceFace is one of those games, and the title is a pretty good summary of what’s on the cards here. No prizes for guessing where the inspiration for the name likely came from either.
Anyhow, you play as a nameless lone warrior who takes the fight to an army of minions and their bosses, who have taken over your space base. That’s all there is to it. As setting the scene goes, it’s short, sharp and sweet offering virtually nothing to distract you from the action.
The language is purposely vague and generic in a self aware nod to the fact this is a game that is likely similar to one you will have played before in one way or another. It’s quite refreshing, and raises a smile, that developer Brad Erkkila cuts to the chase and does away with any attempts to wrap a narrative around a game which is all about blasting an alien horde to pieces.
On that note, Shooty McSpaceFace consists of 60 levels, set across six different zones. As you would expect, there is a boss waiting for you at the end of each cluster of levels. Your goal is to simply reach the finish portal, and you don’t have to kill every single enemy in order to do so. However, it will make life easier.
One thing I liked about Shooty McSpaceFace, and something which helps it stand above similar games, is the fact that you can’t just blitz through each level in a matter of seconds. Sure, the levels are still short, but gradually grow more complex and on the whole are well designed. There’s nothing out of the ordinary for the genre here, but it prevents the game from feeling like a low effort, low budget platforming clone falling into the same old worn out formula.
Evolving Mechanics
Things get more difficult as you progress, and the levels grow in size. You’ll need to find colour coded switches to deactivate laser barriers, don a jetpack to travel to hard to reach places and even jump into your very own submarine; in space! Although these mechanics are introduced at random, they help keep the gameplay engaging throughout.
I didn’t find Shooty McSpaceFace too challenging, and even managed to avoid switching on easy mode. I did die a fair few times, and there were some tricky sequences, but nothing that made me want to hurl my Xbox controller at the wall. That said, it wasn’t embarrassingly easy either, the balance struck was a pleasant one and I enjoyed myself whilst it lasted.
Instead of rushing through the levels, collecting gems as you battle your way through is important for two reasons. Firstly, if you run out of lives you can spend some to continue from where you left off rather than having to restart the zone. Secondly, new weapons and abilities can be purchased with your gems, acting as an in game currency.
Special Weapons and Strategic Cool-Downs
There are a range of powerful weapons to unlock, including heat seeking rockets, mines, a huge laser beam and much more. You can also switch between these at any time from the pause menu. Due to how impactful these special weapons are, there’s a significant cool down period after each use.
Your gems can also be used to upgrade your shield, standard weapon and health bar. However, only two of these buffs can be applied at once so it’s important to choose the ones which best suit your play style.
An Entertaining Diversion
Once you’re done with the story mode, you can hop into the arenas if you haven’t had enough of obliterating aliens. These task you with defeating a set number of enemies but with a catch; you only have one single life. Think of it as a survival mode, and you’ll get the idea.
Shooty McSpaceFace is very much typical of the genre; you’ll likely have seen it all before. However, for the reasonable asking price, there’s an hour or two of solid platforming fun on offer here.
Important Links
Buy from the Xbox Store – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/shooty-mcspaceface/9plhj65w9l92
