This review was originally written on 10/18/2018.

Technical Information

Developer: Walter Machado
Publisher: Walter Machado
Release Date: August 13, 2015

This is the first game in a series composed of six titles.
Despite having a simple visual style, this is a game that exceeded my expectations.

It’s a solid arcade-style game in which your objective is simply to kill everyone and stay alive for as long as possible. Matches are super fast and can end in less than 30 seconds! It’s addictive to keep trying to beat your own score (which is displayed on the game’s title screen).

Final Thoughts – Analyzing the Game as a Whole

Graphics and UI

The graphics leave a bit to be desired, as there isn’t much variety in monsters or stages. The stages change color randomly with each new run.
The environment is made up solely of walls, with no other details or objects that could enrich the overall composition.
The pixel art, although somewhat grotesque, fits the game’s proposal well.

The UI and HUD are very intuitive and follow the same art style as the game. Fully functional.

Soundtrack and Sound Effects

I simply L-O-V-E-D the soundtrack! Some heavy-as-hell metal that, combined with the game’s difficulty, keeps your adrenaline through the roof!

Gameplay

It took me a while to get used to the gameplay. The game is very frantic and difficult. I found the main character’s movement speed to be extremely fast, and at first it’s pretty normal to die because you end up running straight into a bullet instead of dodging it.

You can deflect shots with your sword, but unfortunately when you get hit, the game doesn’t provide any feedback. So there are times when you think you’re deflecting attacks, but you’ve actually been hit and don’t realize it in the heat of the moment.
The hitbox of the stage “walls” is somewhat imprecise, so it’s not completely safe to use them as shields, since there are moments when shots end up passing right through them (which I believe is a minor bug).

In addition to the traditional mode (where you can use both sword and guns), there are other modes in which you use only the sword, only guns, and a mode where you start with the strongest weapon. Each game mode has a specific achievement tied to it.
The stage has clearly marked boundaries, and if you cross them, the run immediately ends. This makes the gameplay even more challenging.

The game includes a tutorial, which I found really cool because it’s narrated with a voice and creates a dark and technological atmosphere at the same time. It’s very easy to understand.

Replayability and Game Retention

A highly addictive game!
It’s one of two things: either you’ll love it, or you’ll want to throw your keyboard out the window. You really have to play it to feel the vibe.