What happens when a game comes along and your expectations are quite different that what you envisioned from screenshots and your own personal past influences? DiscStorm is such a title, and while quite different from what I thought it would be –maybe even from what I wanted it to be — the game nonetheless turns out to be one very enjoyable experience that made me think twice about taking a game at merely face value.
We all have those special games in our youth that resonate with us throughout our lives. These games come to define, or at the very least, hold a special place in our hearts for a number of reasons. Maybe the timing was just right that they clicked, perhaps it was the only game that we had for a long stretch of time, or maybe it was there during a trying point in our life. Whatever the case may be, I had a few of those games myself, and DiscStorm brought them back to mind from looking at screenshots before playing.
Discs of Tron (arcade) and Wind Jammers (NeoGeo) were two such games, and when I saw DiscStorm I was giddy with excitement. After booting up DiscStorm I came to quickly realize that it was nothing like those two games –the discs being the only real connection– and my excitement quickly turned to disappointment. Still, I pressed on as reviewing games is what I do for a living, and when I did I found a game that really does stand on its own in terms of gameplay and its unique brand of fun.
DiscStorm is an arena combat game that demands some incredibly fast reaction times from the player. Your goal in each level is to dispatch the enemies with you flying discs that serve as your main weapon. The game itself is based on the fast paced console games of the 90’s and this shows through with its pixel inspired art style and fast gameplay. The game is dangerously simple to pick up and play as you easily toss discs around the arena in your quest to be the very best. This ease of play is great at giving the player a false sense of superiority during the games slightly long-winded tutorial, until you dive in and the levels begin to quickly push back, forcing you to really master the intricacies of the games mechanics.
Your disc is an all-purpose weapon as you launch it across each of the games many worlds, of which themselves are populated with a large number of levels. Your disc can be bounced off walls, flung through portals, and can even be used as a shield to deflect enemy attacks during play. Enemies themselves are incredibly varied with each doing a great job of representing each of the games worlds you play through. These baddies will chase you around the claustrophobic single-screen levels trying to do you in, while others have their own discs that will make clearing a level quite the challenge. Throw in some epic boss fights into the mix that will force you to learn their patterns and you have a game that you’ll want to keep coming back to in your attempt to get better.
DiscStorm is no cakewalk, and only through solid practice will you even have a chance of making it through even the first world. The tutorial sets everything up nicely, but once the game begins in earnest, you’ll quickly find yourself overwhelmed by what the game throws at you. You won’t get any hand holding with this one, as the game makes you really work for every single victory. It’s not on the level of I Want To Be The Guy, but just know that this is no casual game and death will be your constant companion.
Control wise things in DiscStorm are spot on. Your character –there are multiple to choose from with multiple versions of each to unlock– moves very smoothly, but be warned that using a keyboard and mouse isn’t recommended as a dual joystick controller is highly recommended. The game even goes so far as to let you know this when it loads up and doesn’t detect on plugged in. The worlds of console and PC gaming are beginning to blur as I no longer find it strange to play many a PC game with a wired Xbox 360 controller; heck, I often prefer it over the more tradition mouse and keyboard combo. But even with a controller DiscStrom will take a bit of practice to get comfortable with, especially if you want to master some pretty awesome trick shoots.
DiscStorm offers up some really fun local-multiplayer, but as this is a PC game, odds are you are going to be playing solo. When it comes to the PC local-multiplayer is nice, but is something better left to console gamers. It’s a lot of fun to be sure, but one would really expect a game like this to have some online-multiplayer to really give it some staying power in an already crowded Steam marketplace. Even as a hardcore PC person, the idea of local-multiplayer with friends huddled around my desk and monitor just isn’t all that appealing.
Another thing I have to mention is that the soundtrack for DiscStorm is pretty fantastic. The game boasts some killer tracks that do an excellent job of keeping the action moving along at the games frantic pace. When a game like this comes around you really need a pumping soundtrack to help build the energy one needs to keep playing over and over again, and in that regard DiscStorm really gets it right.
DiscStorm is a great deal of fun, but one that simply not have the staying power of other games. When you have a game like this that is clearly competitive based, not having any online-multiplayer really brings down the games overall enjoyment in any long-term capacity. Still, with a really fun visual style and enough challenge to keep you busy, DiscStorm gets a recommendation for those looking for some fast-paced fun, and at less than ten bucks (current Steam sale price as of 8/23/15) you get your money’s worth.
*A copy was provided for review*
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