Strike Suit Zero

In conclusion, as a small downloadable title there is much to like about Strike Suit Zero; its story is interesting if awkwardly told, and its gameplay is finely-tuned and worth revisiting.

Strike Suit Zero borrows a lot from its predecessors, including an uneven difficulty curve, but it gets more right than wrong and the art direction and music are superb. For $20 its a AAA-looking game at a bargain price. Not too shabby for an indie studio's first game.

Strike Suit Zero isn't a game for the faint-hearted. Strike Suit Zero is tough. Really tough. And while it's this challenge that makes it such a compelling space shooter, it's the very same thing that will drive away players in hordes.

Strike Suit Zero is as challenging as funny, and it's one of the reasons why you should love Kickstarter.

A very fresh option, which is even better taking into account there are not too many games like this in the current market. Yes, it's not perfect, but we'll find so much action, and so many spectacular battles that we'll quickly forget about those minor issues.

Certainly, Strike Suit Zero suffers from some flaws, but it is a challenging and funny space combat game.

Strike Suit Zero has got some issues that keep it from being a must-buy, even for genre aficionados. It still is a pretty good game, with several highs and a good degree of challenge. There's also some replayability, even though it's tampered by the repetitive mission design.

With better targeting, and less mentally sub-normal allies, I could very well find myself in Heaven. Until then, Strike Suit Zero will undoubtedly help you scratch that space combat sim itch you must have by now.

Strike Suit Zero's thrilling combat and awe-inspiring world make space combat feel like a relevant genre after years of stagnation.

Noticeably repetitious levels and bad storytelling can't overshadow the awesome feeling of piloting the Strike Suit, and simulation fans and less-hardcore players alike will find plenty to like in Strike Suit Zero.

A superb spacial spectacle, with a great style and sense of scale. The combat is fast, fluid and enjoyable, but the structure of the game and its poor checkpoint placement can tire and frustrate the player. Great experience if you have the patience for it.

A solid title, a Kickstarter success story. Unfortunately, owing to a forgettable story, uninspiring missions, some wonky combat mechanics and the infrequent crash, it will not win any GOTY awards.

Strike Suit Zero is far too concentrated on bringing back the old feeling of 90s space sims to try anything fundamentally new. While still being a enjoyable trip down memory lane for any fan of those excellent games of old, it fails to trump its progenitors in almost every regard.

A fairly solid space shooter with a few niggles but worth it if you're a fan of the genre.

If you want to spend a night out with FreeSpace 2 in a slinky red dress, this is your game. Just don't expect thrilling dinner conversation. [March 2013, p.84]

Strike Suit Zero is a decent space combat sim but the strike suit angle feels forced and ungainly, and the game misses on a few too many important points to be a true contender for the crown.

Strike Suit Zero also fills the void of a genre that has long been forgotten on the PC, and maybe with the interest in this game, we will see the genre flourish once again in the near future.

Mechs, tons of missiles and a good level of difficulty, make Strike Suit Zero a game that should be played by space shooter fans. Unfortunately it have some technical issues and bad controls too.

The game's biggest problem, however, is the reliance on some of the very worst gaming tropes. Challenging is good, and I'm willing to argue it's not even a disaster when you can plainly feel the game cheating in the AI's favor (I'm looking your way, Civilization series). But missions that come down to either memorizing patterns or to simple luck are excruciating.

Even though the devs go overboard with the difficulty at times, what we have here is a well-playing space action game that will bring back fond memories for everyone who grew up on the classics of the genre. If you've got a soft spot for those and can deal with occasionally frustrating missions, this is well worth your time and money.

It may not be the all-consuming space sim we're all hungry for, but it's still a tasty space combat morsel that every armchair pilot should take a look at.

Freespace 2 this is not, but even with its frustrations, Strike Suit Zero is an anime inspired shooter with its balls against at least two walls. It's dumb, possibly dumber than it intends, but it's also the kind of action you're not going to feel bad for enjoying.

The core game works surprisingly well, the dynamic space battles make for some great moments - and what a sublime feeling it is, if one has been bitten again.

Although first impressions are good, it soon becomes obvious that the ‘simulation’ is shallow, there’s too much chaos and the mech controls are not intuitive. [CD-Action 03/2013, p.60]

Strike Suit Zero is a good game that shows that Kickstarter can be used with profit. Unfortunately the game does not come close to the classic of the genre.

It looks and sounds the part with excellent visuals and a stirring soundtrack, and has competent gameplay mechanics, but it misses the mark with repetitive missions, a poorly developed story, and a fair bit of roughness around the edges.

Strike Suit Zero is a collection of excellent mechanics and ideas marred by unfriendly level design and bad pacing.

For its budget and decidedly indie status, maybe that's a bit of a harsh criticism of Strike Suit Zero, but the feeling of repetition was overwhelmingly strong as I made my way through the latter half of the game.

Intuitive and accessible but also repetitive, SSZ is a flight combat game that trades on tradition rather than imagination.

I’m under the impression that Strike Suit Zero’s developers paid attention to aspects of the game that, although important, like graphics, music, presentation, were not the truly essential ones- thus leaving important elements, like gameplay, A.I and action, to chance. [March 2013]

An audiovisually and musically impressive shoot 'em up with a space rocket that alters into the ultimate space transformer. However, the rest that would make the game better than your above average title is badly missing.

Strike Suit Zero is a well crafted and frenetic space shooter, but is spoiled by a certain repetitiveness of the missions and a predictable storyline.

The space in Strike Suit Zero is visually stunning, and its gameplay is nervous and terribly enjoyable... but when you finally take your marks with it, the game ends abruptly and leaves you with the impression of having played a long tutorial. The scoring system is a good way to have more, but we could have eaten twice without hesitation.

Like its titular star, the game tends to transform, flipping from triumphant to frustrating, and back again.

Even though it borrows heavily from past games, SSZ tries to be more than just a rehashing of an old genre. Its inclusion of a multiple-objective system adds difficulty and depth to its missions, even if they do get repetitive and tiresome at times. Piloting the Strike Suit, however, is the highlight of the game and the reason why you'll want to play it.

It won't blow your favorites in the genre out of the water, but it'll satisfy an itch you might not have realized existed.

A beautiful-looking space combat sim with many fine ideas… all of which are almost ruined by horrendous difficultly spikes and the galaxy's stupidest spaceship pilots.

Strike Suit Zero feels very much like a product of the time when space combat games flourished on PC. Your enjoyment will greatly depend on whether you think of that as praise or a condemnation.