Platform: PC (Reviewed), PS4, Switch
Genre: Shoot ’em up
Developer: Final Form Games
Publisher: Batterystaple Games
Release Date: December 12, 2019
Jamestown+ is a shoot ’em up developed by Final Form Games. And man, is it a thing. An alternate, weird history thing, to be exact.
But do note the “+”, there. It’s essentially the definitive version of Final Form’s Jamestown: Legend of the Lost Colony, including the DLC Gunpowder, Treason & Plot. And, of course, over 8 years of improvements to the base game.
One of the first things of note is that the game is gorgeous. Everything is just so, in the style of some of the best the genre had to offer. The sprites in the game are incredibly lively, exuding the sort of retro charm you’d want in a game like this. To put it this way, I was not surprised to find out that the devs cited CAVE‘s games as a source of inspiration (Progear specifically, though I see a bit of Mushihimesama in it).
Aside from that, the story is certain to make early-American history buffs chuckle. Not only does the game feature the likes of John Smith and Virginia Dare rendered in cutscene magic (Virginia, in particular, looks like she walked out of an old pulp novel in her introductory cutscene), the entire game is replete with the sort of old-school scifi bits and bobs that leave those that recognize them grinning. Besides, can you think of anything more enjoyable then blowing up the combined forces of the Spaniards and filthy tentacled Martians? I thought not.
As far as actually playing the game, it’s unbelievably accommodating. I mean that; it’ll let you map just about any peripheral you could want to play with. And since they let you map them however you like, it makes certain ships (*cough*Fawkes’ Treason*cough*) even more comfortable to play. And you’ll be able to do so with four other people, assuming you’re not like me and actually have friends. And if they’re not big shmup players, that’s okay; the game is surprisingly beginner friendly, offering a number of difficulty levels.
You, as mentioned above, have a number of ship options, each associated with a certain character and possessing its own quirks. Treason can charge homing missiles, whereas Charge stores up a tiny spirit bomb for you to fire off as you please, and Gunner lets you shoot in any direction, with a little doing. Moreover all of these ships have a custom primary fire, which can even be changed once you complete a certain level and customized from a number of other options.
The soundtrack is excellent. I really can’t quite put into words just how damn good it is. So I won’t bother. Just listen:
In short, if you haven’t played the original version of the game, Jamestown+ is a great opportunity to fix that problem. And even if you’re not that great at shmups, its a great introduction. Even relatively atrophied skills such as mine will eventually get you to the end on a lighter difficulty setting. Though this is the sort of game that inspires you to aim higher eventually. As such, Jamestown+ gets the recommendation. It’s a priority buy.
“Jamestown+ is the sort of shoot ’em up you should own. Mic drop.”
Final Score:
4.5/5
*We were provided a copy of this game for review*
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