Author: yetweallfalldown

Q-Games released the fourth iteration in the PixelJunk series, PixelJunk Shooter. After much controversy over the naming contest, does this downloadable game live up to their PixelJunk name? The game definitely looks pretty and plays well, but the length gives a big question mark with a $9.99 price tag.

Story

PixelJunk Shooter follows a rescue expedition in Apoxus Prime, a planet with several mysterious hidden in several caverns underneath the surface. You are given the orders to go rescue scientists and miners who were digging and studying these caves. One great aspect of this story is that several survivors hold keys to unlocking the mysteries of the planet. These survivors are sometimes hidden creating more of a challenge to learning the entirety of PixelJunk Shooter.

Q-Games never really stood out to me as developer who created meaningful stories. When playing PixelJunk Monsters and PixelJunk Eden, I never took the time to truly understand why I was doing what I was doing or if there was an overarching back story. PixelJunk Shooter is a good start at creating downloadable titles that have more depth with a story.

Another unfortunate circumstance of the game’s story is the length. PixelJunk Shooter spans three episodes, each having four or five levels. Each level could be finished within five to ten minutes. It really is a shame that the game doesn’t give adequate time to develop a compelling story.

Gameplay

Q-Games has successfully created amazing gameplay in downloadable games. PixelJunk Shooter is no different. The game is played like a normal top down shooter. The ship is moved with the left analog stick and rotated with the right stick. Gamers are also equipped with a hook, which is accessed with the L1 or L2 button. This grapple is used to rescue the survivors, grab treasure or at times open up new paths. However, Q-Games added a twist to the popular shooter (not first-person) genre. Elements play a big key in this game. The ship that gamers control cannot withstand high temperatures.

Each episode present and elemental challenge. For a majority of the first episode, your efforts to rescue the scientists are thwarted by red hot magma. However, your ship is later equipped with weapons that help you get pass these elemental hazards. For example, lava can be cooled with water, which turns the lava into rock. After gamers, can then take out the rock. More advanced strategies can be executed beyond the basic “stay away from fire” gameplay. I found one level where I purposefully exposed the ship to a portion of lava and managed to fall into water directly after, thus saving my ship.

Graphics

PixelJunk Shooter is a beautiful game. The visuals are bright and vibrant. Q-Games has a good streak of creating amazing looking games. The background of the caves looks to be cell-shaded, darker areas. However, the elements are create a bright overlay to background. Although the game is short, there is a decent amount of variety in level design and environments.

Another amazing aspect to the visuals of the game is the motion of the fluid elements. Water pours through splashing through several areas of the cavern mixing with anything in its path. Overall, the game looks gorgeous in 1080p.

Audio

In this iteration of the PixelJunk series, Q-Games uses High Frequency Bandwidth to compose the audio tracks. This in-game music is simple and fits the game well. It does get somewhat repetitive. However, I would have liked to see the ability to use custom soundtracks.

Multiplayer

Much like the past two Q-Games PixelJunk titles, PixelJunk Shooter allows multiplayer co-op. Two players can take their stab at roughing the elemental hazards in the caves. However, they will venture through the same levels. It may be stretching it, but it would have been nice to see multiplayer games go through a new set of levels (i.e. Twisted Pixel Games’ ‘Splosion Man).

Gameplay in multiplayer plays similar to the single player. Where it differs is the use of standard weapons and upgrades. In some levels, players will have to choose who uses a magma suit or water suit. Also, if a ship overheats, the other player can use the grapple to pull the dying player into water in order to cool down the ship. There are definitely interesting dynamics that make PixelJunk Shooter worth playing in co-op mode.

Summary

PixelJunk Shooter is a great downloadable game with an enticing price point. Q-Games included compelling features, such as elemental hazards, YouTube uploading, remote play and co-op play. However, the replayability is hurt by the gameplay length. None the less, Q-Games has a potential downloadable game of year in my book.