What happens if you take the greatest PS4 shmup creator and
introduce them to legendary arcade game developing god Eugene
Jarvis?
Bliss. Pure arcade bliss.
If that name is
unfamiliar, Mr Jarvis gave us the likes of Robotron 2084,
Defender, Stargate, Smash TV and NARC
(which was so good that Pixies covered its theme music).
As
for Housemarque? Super
Stardust, Dead Nation,
Alienation and Resogun
(which is still the best way to show off a PS4 to somebody
unacquainted).
Them there’s serious shmup chops.
Nex Machina takes everything good about the games listed above,
smushes it all together and emits a voxel-stuffed digital chunk of
pure brilliance (especially the latter if you have an HDR-equipped
TV...)
Imagine The Running Man-esque twin-stick
arena shooter Smash TV rocketed further into the future, but with Defender/Resogun-like
humans to save as you pick off insanely virulent hordes of
armed-to-the-antennae robot scum who are trying to pull off an
orchestrated slaves-become-masters manoeuvre. But not in the dark...
Swathes of the bastards assail you at lightning pace, as you
gradually arc up the power of your shooters, eventually adding the
odd beefy bonus or two to assist you, such as adding dash to your
dash. Do you endeaden your attackers first? Do you prioritise
rescuing those humans that are Idiocracy-like dumb enough to be
trundling around insane laser death arenas? What about those
Resogun invaders chaining their way Centipede-style
through the level? Ooh, there’s a juicy bonus over there... ZZAP!
Six sprawling worlds. Slick techno tunes. Single player
campaign. Multiplayer arenas – including local co-op. Hidden humans,
secret sections, various skill levels, extra challenges, copious
leader boards, sensory overload... Nex Machina comes packed
with everything but a defibrillator.
If you’ve ever wanted
an arcade machine in your home, just grab Nex Machina. It
truly is a masterpiece that’s befitting of its pedigree.
