Nothing like a good ole fashioned horizontal shoot-'em-up to take the rough edges off of a lousy day! Unless, of course, you suffer from an advanced case of obsessive compulsive disorder… then perhaps this may not be the preferred method to decompress.
Anywho, while I could bore you with the rich backstory afforded to your attempt to win the space-war single handedly the vast majority play these games to see cool explosions and drool over the eye-candy. Well look no further, Soldner X-2 delivers with gusto. It's a few years old now, the original game being released a few years ago for PC and PlayStation 3 but I've always felt that the pick-up and play nature of this type of game was better suited to the portable gaming market – and comparing the visuals to the Vita release we aren't losing a thing.
The in-game action is more measured that the usual bullet-hell SHMUPs that we love to hate. While not tactical in nature, you certainly don't die on an ill-defined bullet grazing the air next to your vessel. Your ship can take a bit more damage than a stray bullet, which is important considering the crazy dexterity that you'll need to show off in order to pass most levels. That's not to say you're indestructible either, but you at least have a fighting chance.
You start off with two selectable ships – each starts off with two distinct firing modes but with a third variable slot which you can fill with the power-up of your choice. Assuming you demonstrate enough skill and proficiency there are additional unlockable ships including the one from the original game. Managing your power-ups on screen can become as much of a challenge as the enemies on screen; there is officially no worse feeling that having to grab a power up you don't want but there's no other way to avoid the incoming fire. Each ship has its own pluses and minuses but I had a ton of fun finishing the campaign with each of them.
The difficulty levels are described accurately. The easy setting let me see all of the levels (except for the unlockable ones) so I could get the lay of the land and see all of the bosses. The medium difficulty brought me close to fits in places, and the expert difficulty exists for removing that last little piece of self-worth that I was saving for a rainy-day.
The main game gives you the first 5 levels assuming you can clear them; the next two levels are unlockable but only by gathering enough collectables on those 5 levels to earn them. Odds are you will struggle mightily to gather the necessary items in order to do so – I eventually ran out of time before I had to write my review – but I will not give up on seeing them! The DLC gives you an additional 3 levels to further extend the fun.
All in all, I really enjoyed playing Soldner X-2 on the Vita. It is easily one of the best SHMUPs that I've played in the last decade.
- Tazman
The Good:
- Kickass little SHMUP
The Bad:
- Unlocking those extra levels require a near Buddha-like patience
