UTOPIA 9 - A Volatile Vacation

 Switch
  • Publisher: Whalegun
  • Release Date: Jan 19, 2019
  • Also On: PC
User Score
6.6

Mixed or average reviews- based on 7 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 7
  3. Negative: 2 out of 7

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  1. chosen0ne
    Sep 22, 2021
    4
    Good ideas with poor follow-through. The gameplay loop sounds fun, but playing it feels slow and stiff. Overall a forgettable experience that I didn't enjoy much.
  2. JTBoo
    Jun 19, 2021
    9
    I'm an old gamer who grew up with Atari and NES, so I may be easily amused compared to the newage gamers. In any event, I felt this game hit the sweet spot for what I like in a shooter. Utopia 9 is not easy and it is not complicated to understand. It requires a little thought without needing to spend a year to master it.

    One thing I like is that it maps a use for all of the buttons    I'm an old gamer who grew up with Atari and NES, so I may be easily amused compared to the newage gamers. In any event, I felt this game hit the sweet spot for what I like in a shooter. Utopia 9 is not easy and it is not complicated to understand. It requires a little thought without needing to spend a year to master it.

    One thing I like is that it maps a use for all of the buttons on my remote (but maybe the two top front buttons - I can't remember if they are used.) And the mapping makes intuitive sense. Everything works like it should and is responsive. The trouble I have operating the twin-sticks is just the way it is meaning it is hard as heck to aim and fire especially downwards. I think of it as real-life physics and the trouble you would run into carrying a gun. However, the controls are flawless.

    I bought this game for 99 cents. I own over 50 games some costing over $20. Granted, I am only a month into gameplaying on my Switch; I only bought the system and received it in late April 2021 and this is mid-June, so I have not actually tried every game I have and I tend to start with the easier games first and try the ones that will take up more time later on. Still, this game currently sits in my top spot for most time played where I expect it will stay for some time. For good reason, it is engaging, has that 1 more time drawl that keeps me drawn in for an hour easily.

    The AI is pretty brilliant here. The enemies aren't mindless and they don't walk back and forth. Yes, they will make some stupid decisions but overall I am impressed with the AI given on such a cheap game.

    Great attention to detail given by the creators. The game isn't hard to jump into and understand. It is simple yet complex enough to be challenging and rewarding.

    My only real complaint is it is a 1-life game. Once you die, you start completely over. After about 5+ hours this can get annoying and may cause me to take a hiatus from the game. I was playing it daily for about a week. One time I thought I had the game beaten because the weapons I had were perfect together but in actuality I got one level further than before and then got beaten pretty quickly. One hit from a baddie stole half my life and this game is hard to find health. That is when I kind of became aggravated and stopped playing the game. Who wants to get 30+ minutes into a game only to be defeated in a way that doesn't feel fair and then try again? It might be a while before I feel like going at it again.

    Still, this game is incredible IMO. I am sure not everyone will appreciate such a boring looking game but aside from the somewhat overly lack of beautiful art style, the gameplay is at the forefront. I think Utopia 9 epitomizes almost flawlessly everything I love about a game of this variety.    … Expand
  3. Nightman9001
    Sep 7, 2020
    9
    I give this a 9 because it's quirky, not visually impressive but still has fun (though limited) visuals, and is really great value for the price, especially going on sale as often as it does.
    Over and over again for an hour or two here and there. This game doesn't excel in any specific way, but does everything well with a fun and familiar gameplay loop that I find especially fun with my    I give this a 9 because it's quirky, not visually impressive but still has fun (though limited) visuals, and is really great value for the price, especially going on sale as often as it does.
    Over and over again for an hour or two here and there. This game doesn't excel in any specific way, but does everything well with a fun and familiar gameplay loop that I find especially fun with my girlfriend. Between the tongue-in-cheek story, the funny looking / sounding alienz, a good variety in weaponry and just enough randomness to keep things interesting over time, this isn't a game that I play for hours every day, but it's one that I go back to regularly for an hour or two here and there. On sale it's a no-brainer, but I would still recommend it at full price though objectively maybe at a rating of 7 or 7.5 simply because of a lack of variety in enemies / environments.    … Expand
  4. heila
    Mar 22, 2020
    0
    Why I bought this junk sh...t, boring and annoying.
    For a fps game even no 60 fps on Switch, omg the only thing to do is deleting this game.
  5. nusco
    Mar 11, 2020
    7
    Utopia 9 might not be as popular or slickly designed as Dead Cells or Enter the Gungeon–but it's still a fun little roguelite. The main gameplay loop is the same as other games in the subgenre: you move through a handful of procedurally generated levels, collecting random items and weapons, trying to reach the final boss battle. It's a good setup, and it keeps you coming back for moreUtopia 9 might not be as popular or slickly designed as Dead Cells or Enter the Gungeon–but it's still a fun little roguelite. The main gameplay loop is the same as other games in the subgenre: you move through a handful of procedurally generated levels, collecting random items and weapons, trying to reach the final boss battle. It's a good setup, and it keeps you coming back for more until you've managed to reach the ending.

    The story is pleasantly tongue in cheek: you've been scammed into buying a vacation on a "paradise planet", but your destination turns out to be a hellish mutant-infested wasteland. You must shoot, blast and zap your way to the travel company's offices, to file a complaint and get back home. The game is slim on content, with only three different environments and three main types of enemies–but it does offer a number of different weapons and upgrades, that provide some welcome variety.

    Utopia 9 is a twin-stick shooter of sorts, but don't expect relentless bullet hell action. The fighting is slow and methodical. Soon enough you find out that in this game, your own impatience to push forward is your worst enemy. Once you learn to methodically dispose of mutants (and to select health-focused upgrades), reaching the end isn't too hard, and the final boss turns out to be a bit of a pushover. However, it's all too easy to get greedy and jump gung-ho into the action, which usually results in a premature ending. While Utopia 9 isn't a very hard game, it's not a forgiving one, and it doesn't hesitate to punish your mistakes.

    All in all, Utopia 9 is a very competent little game. As I write, however, it's hard not to make another point about it: this game is often on sale for as little as 99 eurocents on the Nintendo eShop. If price is a factor for you, then add a couple of points to my rating: for that kind of money, this game is great value. It provided me with more fun than some games 20 times as expensive.    … Expand
  6. x519MaLoNeYx
    Dec 11, 2019
    8
    Very VERY cool and fun too down/isometric shooter with rogue like elements like permadeath etc. It’s incredibly fun to play and progress through. Lots of different weapons and weapon types and after each level you have a choice of levels that are branches off of each other. Each level will have a description like “contains melee weapons” or “explosive weapons”...also when your characterVery VERY cool and fun too down/isometric shooter with rogue like elements like permadeath etc. It’s incredibly fun to play and progress through. Lots of different weapons and weapon types and after each level you have a choice of levels that are branches off of each other. Each level will have a description like “contains melee weapons” or “explosive weapons”...also when your character levels up you can choose a mutation that buffs your character in endless ways like movement speed, ability to jump sideways every 15 seconds etc (strange abilities but all very helpful)
    All in all it’s an addictive and fun little game.    … Expand
  7. PortableGamer
    Nov 7, 2019
    9
    Bought for 0.75 €, while it's worth 20 times more. Funny, stylish, amazing sound effects, insanely addictive, it's pure fun. For this price it's flawless

Critic Reviews

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No score yet - based on 2 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 2
  3. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. Gaming Nexus
    Feb 11, 2019
    74
    Utopia 9 has a lot of good ideas but for me at least they just didn’t come together in the end, and the somewhat clumsy controls just exacerbated the situation.
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  2. GamingTrend
    Feb 1, 2019
    75
    Utopia 9 is a short but sweet twin stick shooter. The plot of the game is shallow but a fun reason to be fighting. The variety of weapons and tools are cool, and I was excited to see what I'd find next. Offers a fair challenge, but nothing that difficult.
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