Tesla vs Lovecraft

 PlayStation 4
Metascore
71

Mixed or average reviews - based on 8 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 8
  3. Negative: 0 out of 8
  1. PlayStation Universe
    Mar 28, 2018
    80
    A relatively unambitious but entertaining top-down blaster, Tesla vs Lovecraft is wholly satisfying and enjoyable shooter romp that effortlessly steals morsels of your time away.
  2. PlayStation Country
    Mar 18, 2018
    80
    Perhaps the most manic twin-stick shooters on the system, Tesla vs Lovecraft is bold, interesting and lots of fun to play.
  3. Push Square
    Mar 16, 2018
    80
    A relentlessly entertaining experience with energy to spare, Tesla vs Lovecraft takes a comedic premise and crafts an addictive ride, filled with variety. Despite some sporadic difficulty spikes, this stands shoulder to shoulder with PS4s best arcade shooters.

User Reviews

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User Score
6.6

Mixed or average reviews- based on 17 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 17
  3. Negative: 4 out of 17
  1. GBG_Jason
    Mar 13, 2018
    8
    You’ll step into the shoes of Tesla as he takes down the forces of Lovecraft across multiple areas using a mech, standard weaponry, as well asYou’ll step into the shoes of Tesla as he takes down the forces of Lovecraft across multiple areas using a mech, standard weaponry, as well as some designs by the legendary inventor himself. Each level will either task the player with mowing down waves of enemies thrown at them, or completing basic tasks such as collecting items or destroying other non-threatening objects. Each level can be completed between a few seconds and a few minutes, with an entire playthrough on a single difficulty lasting a few hours through its 20+ levels. That said, there’s a decent amount of content to be found in this title.

    After completing a few tutorial levels and collecting all of the pieces needed to assemble your mech suit, you will begin each level in the suit, which is a limited ability that will drain quickly. Once it has been depleted you can collect the pieces again, as they will respawn at random points in the level and once complete, and you can activate the ability again at your leisure. In addition to the mech, you can teleport or dash through enemies and obstacles, which makes traversing the level and avoiding enemies quite easy on the standard difficulty. This ability can be used multiple times in succession and has a fairly quick recharge rate.

    The arsenal at your disposal is pretty normal for this type of game. You’ll start each level with a basic pistol and typically find various types of shotguns, machine guns, but being that this is Tesla, you’ll also find a gun that shoots lightning balls. You are able to carry one crowd-control ability in addition to one weapon at a time. While the abilities are limited to a set number of uses, the weapons feature unlimited ammo, although they must be reloaded. The biggest game changer will be the perks that modify how your weapons fire, with upgrades such as ammo bouncing off of walls, piercing groups of enemies, or multiple bullets being fired at the same time being up for grabs. I found the repeater shotgun (basically a fully automatic version) with the multi-shot and bouncing effects to be the most worthwhile. When you end up with a good roll, it’s amazing.

    During standard play you’ll level up Tesla and be given the option between one of two perks to apply to the character. The upgrades stack, so if you’re lucky enough to get multiples of the more devastating perks, you’ll want to take advantage of them. These come fairly often, but reset each time the player leaves the level, giving the title a rouge-lite feel. This works for the most part but can add frustration as well. Since the upgrades and weapons available are randomized, some of the more difficult levels will be harder if you don’t find something to even out the playing field, resulting in multiple attempts to complete the level.

    There are also permanent upgrades that can be applied to your character. These require the player to collect crystals that are rewarded for killing X number of a certain enemy, finishing levels, completing weekly bounties, and will appear randomly in higher levels as pickups. These upgrades do not change gameplay as much as the perks do mid-game, but they will help the player once reaching the higher difficulties. The biggest issue with these is the cost of the upgrades compared to how often you accrue them not being balanced. Having completed the first difficulty and being half way through the second as of this writing, I have only been able to purchase a few of these.

    Offering the high level of polish that 10tons LTD has been known for in its previous releases (Time Recoil, Jydge), the game controls like it should. The only thing I would have changed would have been removing the right trigger requirement to shoot and simply use the right stick. The enemies you face are well rendered and rarely blend into the level, which has been a bit of a setback in previous shmups. With the visuals being on par with most indie games you’ll find on the market, the graphics won’t disappoint, but are nothing to write home about. You’ll face off against spiders, blobs, and strange tentacles, among other ghastly stylized creatures that spew a respectable amount of purple blood upon death. While the bosses are simply larger versions of the normal enemies, they pose a decent challenge and require the player to strategically choose their upgrades early in these encounters.

    If you would like to take a friend with you on your journey into madness, the game offers local co-op play. Sadly, I did not have a companion available to play with, so I cannot comment on how well this works. For those that are into endless modes, the game has you covered, with the option being unlocked early into the game. If you’re a fan of the shmup genre or 10tons Ltd’s other work, you won’t be disappointed.    … Full Review »
  2. FleaSixty
    Oct 7, 2018
    8
    Tesla vs Lovecraft reminds me of a modern day love letter to top down shooters of old such as Commando, Smash TV, Mercs and others but givingTesla vs Lovecraft reminds me of a modern day love letter to top down shooters of old such as Commando, Smash TV, Mercs and others but giving the game-play a more frantic and modern twist. The game has an arcade style feel to it as you run around the level shooting everything you can in sight as the enemies swarm towards you.

    The guns in the game can either hinder or help your progress as you choose to either pick them up or avoid them to pick them. (I really hated the revolver). Then there is also the mech which you pick up parts for in the level which acts as a limited time super weapon which is pretty good fun to use as you tear through the swarms of enemies. Throw in secondary weapons to the mix and you are all set to blast away the twisted demons spawned by H.P. Lovecraft's imagination.

    Then you also have perks to choose from as you kill x amount of enemies which can be something not like faster reloading or something awesome like prodigy where you can endlessly use your secondary weapon.

    The game takes place over around 40 levels, with a further 2 harder variations unlocked while progressing through the story. While playing through the game you also get crystals which can then be used to level up different items or perks to help you as you play.

    Tesla vs Lovecraft also makes you feel that if you fail a level it's actually down to you and not because of the game suddenly ramping up in difficulty. This leads to instead of getting annoyed that you failed a level to immediately pressing start again and having another go.

    If you are looking for a game to play in-between generic shooter A or big blockbuster B then you really can't go wrong with Tesla vs Lovercraft to fill the gap. In fact I am sure that you will be glad that you gave it a try.    … Full Review »
  3. bersi84
    May 12, 2018
    9
    I found Tesla vs Lovecraft while roaming through the PSN Store. The top-down twin stick shooter will provide you with well paced action in aI found Tesla vs Lovecraft while roaming through the PSN Store. The top-down twin stick shooter will provide you with well paced action in a nicely designed game engine. The fighting is well made. You collect different types of weapons and activate perks for your character to boost you up. Also you can buy permanent boosts with crystals that you obtain while playing.

    The game comes a little bit short of playtime I feel, yet, the enjoyment is awesome. There quite some levels with boss encounter on your way to the final boss. After finishing the route you play again with more stuff added to the game. Also what made the difference for me is, that I can create the play style I like. High fire rate, exploding teleportation and repeating shotgun? There you go. Melee fighting with a laser sword? There you go.

    I d defintely recommend this game. Its fluent to play with some minor drops in insanely full packed scenes. Make sure to grab it at 10 bucks or less and I m sure you wont regret your buy.

    Enjoy!    … Full Review »
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