There’s nothing quite like a good SHMUP to get the blood flowing!
VARYZNEX is blast of an experience thanks to approachable gameplay and score system depth. From the first stage to the very last, the game never lets up and throws everything at you, including the kitchen sink. I love playing a good SHMUP to help keep my brain and reflexes young. But I understand that I probably won’t get to the end of very many of the ones I play because of the high difficulty level, even on the more basic difficulty.
What’s nice about VARYZNEX is that while it does throw bullets at you like mad you never really feel like you don’t have a chance to make it through any given stage. This is because on the normal difficulty the game is pretty lenient in terms of taking damage. Your hitbox is a very small pixel that allows you to more freely maneuver and takes chances while playing. This allows the player to learn by doing without the need for any sort of tutorial.
You’ll still die, and I did several times, but you’ll feel in control and not like the game is trying to screw you over or steal your last quarter. Combat is also simple but includes a couple of fun ideas. The main thing is the games bits-based combat. At the touch of a button, you can direct your attacks via two red orbs forward in a spray pattern, above and below pattern, or rear attack with a lesser forward bullet stream. And you’ll be switch at all times because enemies can come from any direction at any time.
There are also no traditional powerups to collect, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have a trick up your sleeve. You can access a special gauge that serves two purposes at the same time. This gauge serves as you ships shield strength which drops every time you take damage. At the same time, it also serves as your super attack that takes the shape of a powerful forward beam. This beam is a killer, but when in use it means you won’t have access to any shield.
Whenever you destroy an enemy, they’ll release blue energy balls that you can collect. The faster you collect these balls, the more points you can rack up for the included leaderboards. But these orbs also help your super attack because if you collect orbs while in a super state your special will grow stronger for a second stage. Your super can also be used to counter the specials of bosses giving VARYZNEX a far bit of gameplay complexity, especially when you add in a number of multipliers.
Timing also matters in terms of scoring points as the faster you kill a boss the more bonus energy you’ll earn. And then there are a number of perks you can earn by beating a stage without taking any damage. These perks can also stack between stages meaning there are a lot of ways to boost your score on the leaderboards. VARYZNEX offers a lot for those new to the genre that just want a fun game while also giving hardcore fans a lot to work with to complete against others.
VARYZNEX is a really fun experience, but one thing that stood out to me while playing was the games overall style. When we think of the great SHMUP games of the past we tend to think of Japanese classics that graced the arcade scene of the early to mid 90s. What many of us, especially those of us across the pond seem to forget is that there was a huge SHMUP scene on the early PC and Amiga scene.
Games like X-Out, Disposable Hero, and Banshee were all huge hits. And like those games VARYZNEX keeps things short and sweet with five stages. The graphics of these early shooters were very lo-fi and chunky and so is VARYZEX, to the point it feels like a lost classic of the era. The soundtrack also feels ripped from the era with techo rock beats blasting your ears as you fly through space.
VARYZEX is a fantastic little SHMUP that is as fun for those getting into the genre as it is for those looking to take on the leaderboards thanks to its unique scoring system. And if all that wasn’t good enough the game is also under $5 (currently $3.99 on sale). You’ll be hard-pressed to find a better deal than that for around $1 a level! VARYZEX also has a demo on Steam for those on the fence about checking it out.
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