Matterfall

With as solid a foundation that Housemarque has created here, the potential for a truly boundary breaking game definitely exists but the short length, lack of replayability and immense difficulty spikes dampen the overall experience.

Matterfall recovers the dead genre called "Metroidvania", and it executes on it pretty well, but sadly game lacks story to move you and controllers are relatively difficult to get used to it.

An absorbing mix of ideas: an intense retro-tinged shooter with an unusual level of complexity. [Nov 2017, p.81]

Matterfall may be the weakest title Housemarque has released to Playstation 4, but it's still a mostly great mix of platforming and shooting. We really enjoy the intense action and demanding difficulty – but we wish the game was a bit more polished and significantly longer.

Outstanding and challenging gameplay. Unfortunately due to its inconvenient controls and some other problems, it won't be the best Housemarque game you'll encounter.

It's an entertaining genre mix full of effects, but it loses its charm fast due to the narrow scope and modest replay value.

Very good-looking and enjoyable with is nervous, but easy to understand, gameplay, Matterfall feels great but doesn't offer so much to do and ends too quickly. But if you're a scoring addict, it's definitely for you.

Amongst the hallucinatory explosion storms, some shaded platform phases are also shaded, which make it even less convenient and intuitive to aim with the right precision.

MatterFall is crammed with interesting mechanics and there’s something really lovable about its Metroid-meets-Contra-meets-Bullet-Hell style. It’s just a shame that the levels aren’t memorable enough or the enemies distinctive enough to make it another retro-arcade great. Throw in boss battles that go on way too long, and it’s a solid shooter that will please enthusiasts, but not quite up there with Resogun or Nex Machina.

Matterfall succeeds in adapting Housemarque’s trademark style of fast, action-packed, arcadey action to the 2D platformer genre, but it feels like a puzzle half solved. There’s virtually no content here after you finish its exceptionally short campaign, outside of some harder difficulty modes and a global leaderboard to climb, and its level design isn’t well-suited for replay value. It’s a ton of fun while it lasts, but once it’s over it’s hard to not be left with a feeling of “Is that it?”

Matterfall is perhaps the least essential Housemarque title in the PlayStation 4’s catalogue, but it’s still a cut above the majority of the competition. Had there been more variety to its levels, some additional features and a tweak or two to the gameplay it could have stood toe-to-to with the like of Nex Machina, but as it is, it just doesn’t feel like the well-rounded package that we’ve become used to.

Matterfall’s not the best game Housemarque will release in 2017 – but then, the virtually flawless Nex Machina was always going to be a tough act to follow. There’s a lot to like about this side-scroller’s pulsating platforming levels, and when it all comes together you’ll feel like you’re on top of the world. An unorthodox control scheme means that it’s not the most accessible game, but once you slip into a rhythm it feels right. Unfortunately, it can be hard to stay in the groove, and while those looking for a challenge will undoubtedly relish the practice required to master this menacing sci-fi affair, it will put others off.

Matterfall is a game filled with ideas and mechanics that seem fine on their own, but contradict and conflict with each other when added together. The experience is so short and stifled, that even with some enjoyable moments along the way, it’s hard to recommend.

Admittedly, the overall quality of Matterfall hurts more than usual because we've seen exactly what Housemarque can do. The core game is fun, but mediocre platforming holds back the game's strengths of dashing and shooting. Controls seem fine on paper, but the inability to map the buttons means that there's a learning curve to the game that will result in many deaths and wrong moves. It may look and sound pretty, but with a short game length and a punishing leaderboard system, consumers may want to wait for a price drop before jumping in.

For a AA game, Matterfall is not that bad. It features great combat which requires both physical and mental agility. Other than that, it lacks loads of content. If you can overcome the hard-to-control mechanics and the long loading times, there is no doubt that you are going to enjoy that game, but only on the short term. If you are top-score hunters, Matterfall is the game for you. If not, you should probably look for another game where you destroy aliens.

Matterfall is a mechanically sound game but has very little to keep you coming back to chase high scores. As it stands, I enjoyed the handful of hours that I spent with it, but I can't see myself going back anytime soon.

Matterfall is a 2D shoot’em-up which combines platforms and bullet hell action like a classic 90s arcade game. Its controls are different from usual shooters and can be confusing, yet is the most intelligent choice for the mechanics of this game which has all the ingredients of Housemarque.

If you can handle the uncomfortable controls, you’ll be able to immerse yourself in some good old platformer shooting fun.

Good, but nowhere near Housemarque's best work. [Issue#191, p.78]

Not the best piece of work from the guys that probably know twin-stick shooters better than anyone else. Matterfall is beautiful and visually impressive, but feels rushed and is way too short with limited to no replay value.

Housemarque’s understanding of arcade shooting mechanics is, as ever, strong with Matterfall, but it lacks the flair and bombast of the more thoroughbred members of its family. The core concepts carried over from Housemarque’s previous efforts may be signature moves now, but they are starting to grow a little tired, more so when the game they feature in isn’t among the best the developer has put out.

Matterfall contains some welcome formula tweaks and the usual level of Housemarque polish, but it's much less inspired than the Finnish studio's better shooters.

While I have to tip my hat to Housemarque for trying something different, Matterfall feels more like a side project than a proper release in the developer’s esteemed lineage of twin-stick shooters. The controls lack the same level of slick polish, the main experience is short, and there’s little to keep you coming back.

Nowhere close to the arcade perfection of Resogun or Nex Machina, this undercooked action platformer lacks the precise controls and instant appeal of its stablemates.

Matterfall brings back retro gameplay mechanics in a futurist set. However, it does not bring anything new and becomes a little bit repetitive due to this.

At first it's great to engage with Housemarque's tried-and-tested designs again, but Matterfall never manages to build off of its promising foundation, and it even mishandles one of the studio's longest-standing mechanics: dashing. There is still some fun to be had, and it's easy to appreciate the technical artistry on display, but factor in inconsistent controls and long load times, and it's easy to grow frustrated throughout the Matterfall's short campaign.