Galak-Z: The Dimensional

 PlayStation 4
  • Publisher: 17-Bit
  • Release Date: Aug 4, 2015
  • Also On: PC
User Score
7.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 139 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 89 out of 139
  2. Mixed: 23 out of 139
  3. Negative: 27 out of 139

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  1. Furtin
    Aug 12, 2015
    10
    Grendizer/Goldrake, Mazinga Z, Jeeg, Captain Future, Harlock, Spaceship Yamato and several other classic anime I use to grow up with in the 70s and 80s, are amalgamated into this videogame.

    But you need to be warned - you have to be a real videogamer at heart (in the sense of sink your teeth in the game, not in the controller), as it will tear you down to shreds and you will lose    Grendizer/Goldrake, Mazinga Z, Jeeg, Captain Future, Harlock, Spaceship Yamato and several other classic anime I use to grow up with in the 70s and 80s, are amalgamated into this videogame.

    But you need to be warned - you have to be a real videogamer at heart (in the sense of sink your teeth in the game, not in the controller), as it will tear you down to shreds and you will lose everything!
    Every powerup, your progression - everything.
    And then you need to start all over again. One season is five episodes long. Should you die in episode five, well you know the drill ...

    It combines the toughness of the old coin-up arcades with the leveldesign of Spelunky and the approach of Dark Souls.
    Master the controls and don't panic!    … Expand
  2. illthreat
    Aug 6, 2015
    10
    A fantastic breath of fresh air into a genre that has been lacking ideas. Vividly colorful with a wonderful story line. A graphical interface that both is easy to use and an "old video camera menu style" for game options.

    Sound fx and music are fitting. The controls are spot on and every button used in an easy to learn scheme.
  3. asterisktec
    Aug 5, 2015
    10
    Galak-Z is a near perfect video game. Being one of those "older gamers" (I'm over 40) I remember the classic TV shows from the 80's such as Battlestar Galactica and the cartoons such as Battle of the Planets.

    You can tell the folks from 17-Bit have taken their influences from that era and made a superb game from it. The art style and sound effects are spot on, the music for the most    Galak-Z is a near perfect video game. Being one of those "older gamers" (I'm over 40) I remember the classic TV shows from the 80's such as Battlestar Galactica and the cartoons such as Battle of the Planets.

    You can tell the folks from 17-Bit have taken their influences from that era and made a superb game from it. The art style and sound effects are spot on, the music for the most part is perfectly suited. The graphics are really slick and it just so happens that your ship resembles a Viper (from BSG). There a lot of really neat touches throughout the game that really adds to the whole cartoon vibe and its spotlessly done.

    The controls of your ship take some getting used to and when you couple that with the inertia effects throughout the game, things can get a little hairy. Learn to use your boost and Juke (Barrel Roll) to your advantage and you'll get the hang of things... stick with it pilot!

    The A.I. is BRUTAL, they are sneaky, dogmatic and will hunt you down ruthlessly. On the other side of the coin they will also run when you get the advantage so it makes the battles all the more intense. If you die (which you will, a lot) it's back to the beginning of the season however its not as bad as it sounds.

    1. It encourages you to carefully think out your attack
    2. The randomly generated levels keep it fresh every time
    3. Its such a great game just to look at
    4. You feel a real sense of accomplishment when you do complete a level

    I've only been playing it for a few hours and I'm really impressed, for $15 (or $20 if you're not a PS+ member) you really cannot go wrong. Once you get past Chapter 1 you unlock the Mech mode and it adds a whole new dimension to the game. I will update my review once I get there.

    This has been one of the best indie releases I've played since Helldivers and its great to see the smaller studios giving the big boys a real run for their money.

    Well done 17-Bit for such a great game!    … Expand
  4. RudigerX
    Aug 6, 2015
    9
    This game is great fun. I've been playing a few hours and am finally getting a handle on the controls. The reviews aren't kidding about the difficulty of this game it is hard. It can be a little confusing at times to just what my progress is or the repercussions of me dying are but with every death I learn more and become more attuned to the enemy and how to approach a situation. The musicThis game is great fun. I've been playing a few hours and am finally getting a handle on the controls. The reviews aren't kidding about the difficulty of this game it is hard. It can be a little confusing at times to just what my progress is or the repercussions of me dying are but with every death I learn more and become more attuned to the enemy and how to approach a situation. The music after a while became irritating so I turned it down but the sound effects are nice. Having no music on helped as it made me less jittery and I began to operate with more stealth. The game play is addictive and has a somewhat "just one more turn" feel to it. There are plenty of upgrades to discover and fun enemies to kill. I am very happy with this purchase.… Expand
  5. iamTylerDurden
    Aug 4, 2015
    10
    Galak-Z is a beautiful space opera that will serenade you with sweet retro melodies one minute and pummel you with punishing difficulty the next. Galak-Z is a flatout fantastic game, it's an 80's anime inspired rogue-lite space shooter that feels like being in a Saturday morning cartoon. It has a significant learning curve and will take some up to a full hour to feel like a badazz spaceGalak-Z is a beautiful space opera that will serenade you with sweet retro melodies one minute and pummel you with punishing difficulty the next. Galak-Z is a flatout fantastic game, it's an 80's anime inspired rogue-lite space shooter that feels like being in a Saturday morning cartoon. It has a significant learning curve and will take some up to a full hour to feel like a badazz space pilot, but once you master the controls and the realistic physics it becomes pure space fighting bliss.

    Galak-Z is broken up into 4 seasons with a 5th coming in 1-2 months via free update, each season is broken up into 5 episodes (levels) which take approximately 10 minutes to complete depending on skill. If you die you must start all over at the beginning of your current season, it's a semi perma-death. Luckily, once you beat a season (5 episodes) and move onto the next it acts as a checkpoint system. If you were to beat season 1 and then die in the middle of season 2 you would start over at season 2 instead of having to play from the very beginning. It can be quite a challenge to beat 5 episodes in a row in order to reach the next season, but once you get to season 2 you unlock mech mode! Mech mode is the ability to transform from a ship to a plasma-sword wielding mech on the fly. Playing as an Optimus Prime like mech is just as awesome as it sounds. The mech wields a viscous plasma-sword that is deadly at close quarters and can be charged for a super attack. My favorite mech ability is the grappling hook arm that can grab any item from close range to long range and can be used for a multitude of purposes. You can grab and throw space junk/asteroids ect and hit enemies for damage, you can grab enemies and smash them into other enemies, throw flammable barrels, you can use objects as shields or to stealthily hide behind, and my personal favorite is grabbing an enemy and thrashing it to death with your sword while it's in your headlock like deathgrip. The two different styles between mech and ship compliment each other well making combat extremely satisfying.

    17bit clearly crafted Galak-Z with love and precision, and you can tell with each perfectly placed pixel. The physics are incredibly realistic and the ai is so dynamical that many times you will come up on an all out battle royale happening independently in space. The weapons and upgrades are terrific, the story is sufficient, and the gameplay is sublime. Galak-Z is a beautiful love letter to retro gaming, but with gorgeous visuals and high style. At first it's tough and Galak-Z will hurt, but it hurts so good, just hang on and learn the controls and you will surely fall in love just as i did. Galak-Z on PS4 gets a 9.5/10.    … Expand
  6. SWERY_51
    Aug 5, 2015
    9
    Galak-Z is the perfect fusion between a top view 360° Shooter and a Rogue like, with 80's Japanese anime style. The gameplay is really enjoyable, very responsive and based on your skill. It's fun, challenging and you can even unlock a pretty cool mecha transformation with new moves after the 1st Act.

    The only slight disappointement came from the soundtrack. The music is too simple and    Galak-Z is the perfect fusion between a top view 360° Shooter and a Rogue like, with 80's Japanese anime style. The gameplay is really enjoyable, very responsive and based on your skill. It's fun, challenging and you can even unlock a pretty cool mecha transformation with new moves after the 1st Act.

    The only slight disappointement came from the soundtrack. The music is too simple and i regret they haven't hired a guy like Jake Kaufman for the OST. Except that point, it worth it's price. :)    … Expand
  7. PercentageWon
    Aug 19, 2015
    9
    So I've been constantly asking myself this question: what's a game with AI that you could say was "good"? Now that's a hard metric to quantify, but Galak-Z gets it right. With AI and gameplay that just leans on the edge of frustratingly difficult, the satisfaction from successfully completing a mission after frantically evading enemy fire and destroying set enemies is ecstatic.

    I will    So I've been constantly asking myself this question: what's a game with AI that you could say was "good"? Now that's a hard metric to quantify, but Galak-Z gets it right. With AI and gameplay that just leans on the edge of frustratingly difficult, the satisfaction from successfully completing a mission after frantically evading enemy fire and destroying set enemies is ecstatic.

    I will say that the flash-like artstyle for the characters are off-putting and banter did get on my nerves on more than a couple of occasions. It's not a game for everyone, but it's certainly a game for my tastes.    … Expand
  8. Le_Rik
    Aug 5, 2015
    9
    This game is a perfect fusion between Macross and Asteroids for NES but with a ton more colors and animations. The difficulty curve could be a bit high for some people but if you are able to push through its very rewarding.
  9. FriedConsole
    Jan 3, 2016
    9
    This game is awesome. Roguelike space shooter. Non twin stick shooter controls that take a while to get use to. Great fun when you master it. Only complaints is that it is too harsh on mistakes. It is hard to feel progression because you carry very little from run to run. Great music and art. GOTY list for me on this. Has a few stuttering issues on PS4 but not bad. Get it.
  10. Kendojosh
    Apr 17, 2016
    10
    Very addictive game, I got hooked fast. It's a great game with a steep difficulty curve for the first two 'seasons'. I died many times before getting through season 2 - but by the time I'd gotten skilled enough to beat that, season 3 and 4 were beaten in one go. Still had a blast all the way through, the action is very intense at times and it give a great sense of accomplishment to winVery addictive game, I got hooked fast. It's a great game with a steep difficulty curve for the first two 'seasons'. I died many times before getting through season 2 - but by the time I'd gotten skilled enough to beat that, season 3 and 4 were beaten in one go. Still had a blast all the way through, the action is very intense at times and it give a great sense of accomplishment to win some of the harder battles.
    The only disappointing thing was finishing season 4 only to find out season 5 was 'coming soon'. I want more, please.    … Expand
  11. Dionysus777
    Aug 22, 2015
    8
    Really diggn this game my peeps.Minimal complaints my robots. Complaint 01000001101100011111110010101. Me wish it had more progressive structure. Please comply. Oh yea dont go holdn out on me when i pay for sumptin. If there is another season just give it to me or dont put it on dar captain. For $20 bones there should easily be 10 or 20 seasons on it. Which would fit a more progressiveReally diggn this game my peeps.Minimal complaints my robots. Complaint 01000001101100011111110010101. Me wish it had more progressive structure. Please comply. Oh yea dont go holdn out on me when i pay for sumptin. If there is another season just give it to me or dont put it on dar captain. For $20 bones there should easily be 10 or 20 seasons on it. Which would fit a more progressive structure perfectly! Good game with way more potential and priced 2 high. Would give it a 9 or 10 if you made it my way suckers. As it stands its a fun 8. Season 5 holderouters. Sons of @!?#%/.................................. .......Good day sirs.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

39
#39 Best PS4 Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 42 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 38 out of 42
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 42
  3. Negative: 0 out of 42
  1. Hobby Consolas
    Mar 24, 2016
    79
    A challenging roguelike space shooter with anime style and a varied set of procedurally generated levels. Great!
    Read full review
  2. Playstation Official Magazine Australia
    Oct 16, 2015
    80
    It looks lovely and the frantic combat is delightfully nuanced, but be warned: it’s brutal. [November 2015, p78]
  3. Games Master UK
    Oct 15, 2015
    85
    A roguelike for the cerebral pilot. Those with viper-like reflexes shouldn't miss this step up for gaming AI. [Oct 2015, p.69]
See all critic reviews »