Velocity 2X: Critical Mass Edition

 PlayStation 4
Metascore
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No score yet - based on 1 Critic Review

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  1. CD-Action
    Apr 3, 2018
    90
    If you haven’t already played this shmup/platformer hybrid, do yourself a favor and pick up Critical Mass Edition, as it might be the best game that flew under your radar. Over three years after its initial release I’m still in awe of its brilliant design and how skillfully the developers merged common elements into something surprisingly fresh and remarkably enjoyable. [03/2018, p.69]
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  1. SplitMind
    Apr 2, 2020
    9
    An Absolute Gem!

    Velocity is a game I heard almost nothing about, but I liked the art style and the idea of the old-school game mechanics    An Absolute Gem!

    Velocity is a game I heard almost nothing about, but I liked the art style and the idea of the old-school game mechanics adapted for the modern era. Quite often this concept of bringing old mechanisms into modern games simply falls flat and exposes the games for the relics of the past where they belong, but Velocity really shines through and impressed me quite a lot.

    The graphics I alluded to above are excellent. Very crisp and colourful. Mostly two-dimensional but that suits the game style perfectly. It’s not exactly going to push my PS4 Pro to the limits, but the graphics are so fluid and smooth that it makes the game a beauty to look at as you blow up half of outer space. The only potential qualm is that when the screen gets filled with gunfire, particularly during boss battles, this can get muddy and hard to see, but this is a rarity and if anything, I enjoyed it like a fireworks display.

    The gameplay is where this game shines and had me coming back for more like a thirsty monk at a bottomless well. Over 50 levels the game gradually introduces you to various mechanics, but by about level 20 you should have most of them, and the game does this ingeniously by incorporating each mechanic into a level so that you’re not sitting through inane tutorials. The gameplay basically exists in two forms; you shoot your way through space in your ship, or you jump out into little stations to traverse on foot. Both are incredibly fun and versatile. Lasers, teleportation, bombs and a few other mechanics are mixed and matched so well across 50+ levels that repetition isn’t much of an issue.

    The only real issue I had came towards the end. Each level gives you experience points and these are required to unlock successive stages. Towards the end the scores teetered a bit high, meaning I had to go and replay a few earlier levels to up my score. This isn’t a huge barrier, but it did get demanding on my ability to play the game, which is where you may find another issue.
    The controls can get fiddly and the teleportation mechanic in particular gets sticky due to you having to move your character, the cursor and press teleport simultaneously. Fortunately the game is quite generous with checkpoints so you can have plenty of retries and almost no loading screens.

    The story is quite simple, and this is a very good thing. Rescue slaves and kill bad guys is essentially what it boils down to. I won’t spoil the rest but there isn’t a lot to spoil either.

    Overall, this is a fantastic game that I found addictive, fun and challenging, which can be a rarity these days. It’s amazing what they have achieved with this little game and it is a bargain these days on websites for less than a tenner. It also comes with a physical booklet and soundtrack CD – another rarity and a steal at such a great price. I definitely recommend this game to all.    … Full Review »
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