It features an energizing high-tempo electronic score that keeps your thumbs on a rhythmic swivel, but also feel like they fit with the world you’re in. Nex Machina’s sound design is also something that cannot be overlooked. “Despite its utterly insane difficulty curve, Nex Machina is a pure joy to play.” The pixelated brick walls of the levels vibrate and shake as you set off bombs or destroy parts of the environment, and every enemy you destroy pops apart in a satisfying explosion of voxels that never gets old. They’ve all been filtered through the lens of “cablepunk” – a retro version of cyberpunk that uses primitive parts and exposed wiring – and appear as though they’ve been pieced together one voxel at a time. With Nex Machina they’ve upped their game, making each world unique and thematic, including ice caverns, fire caves, and robotics facilities, to name a few. In terms of mechanics, twin-stick shooters do not get more fine-tuned than this.Įver since Resogun, I have been impressed by Housemarque’s use of voxels in their engine, making themselves synonymous with the technology. That the loop exists isn’t as impressive as the fact that I developed it by learning the game’s methodology. Once I was satisfied that I hadn’t missed anything, I would wipe out the remaining enemies and move on to the next level, where I would repeat the cycle. Eventually, though, I found a satisfying and progressively challenging chain of priorities: I would first save all the humans, maximizing my multiplier bonus, and then aim my weapon at the environment, shooting all enemies in my path as I searched for any secrets a level may have to offer. The moment you start getting ideas about saving humans or looking for secret exits, however, the game will quickly take advantage of your shifted focus, swarming you with enemies from all directions. The simplest thing would be to brute force your way through, ignoring any distractions and speed to the end of a world. The sheer number of overlapping mechanics above could seem overwhelming to those unfamiliar with the genre, or with Housemarque’s games. “In terms of mechanics, twin-stick shooters do not get more fine-tuned than this.”
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