Spareware

 Xbox One
  • Publisher: Rusto
  • Release Date: Mar 18, 2016
  • Also On: PC
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User Score
5.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 6 Ratings

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  • Summary: Spareware . Gather your cybernetic friends and assemble your robots for a mercilessly brutal 4-player cooperative top-down shooting mayhem!
    Venture into the dystopian domed city of Helsinki and its infinite possible layouts to free the AI protector HelOS.
    Fight the deluded human    Spareware . Gather your cybernetic friends and assemble your robots for a mercilessly brutal 4-player cooperative top-down shooting mayhem!
    Venture into the dystopian domed city of Helsinki and its infinite possible layouts to free the AI protector HelOS.
    Fight the deluded human security forces to reach the Core, where you and HelOS can save the citizens from the self destructive and manipulative power of Vote. Get stronger with every battle and get access to a variety of exceptional weapons and abilities to help the revolution.
    Slaughter is the only way to save humanity. Do you have what it takes?    … Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. Brash Games
    Apr 27, 2016
    70
    Spareware is an interesting idea, that just wasn’t thought out well enough to be a hit on next-gen platforms. Lack of online accessibility and repetitiveness are major flaws, but If you are looking for a fun game at a great price to play with friends, then Spareware is the game for you.

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
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  2. Mixed: 2 out of 2
  3. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. GBHBL
    Apr 27, 2016
    7
    The year is 2186 & humanity now lives in protective city domes safe from the deadly environment. However a new threat has arisen, the robotsThe year is 2186 & humanity now lives in protective city domes safe from the deadly environment. However a new threat has arisen, the robots are rebelling.

    That’s as much story as you’re gonna get, this top down, twin-stick shooter is light on plot but heavy on the action. Destroy every human in your path as you make your way through procdureally generated infinite cities.

    Your robot is built from scratch with a number of options available offering different play styles. It’s split into 5 categories: head, left arm, right arm, torso & feet. New weapons & body parts can be unlocked offering a range of customisation but it’s not as extensive as it first seems.

    Taking damage from enemies will see your parts destroyed bit by bit starting with your head. It is possible to finish a level as just a pair of legs!

    Different pieces of gear offer different stat boosts such as increased speed or faster reloading. You can also earn XP & level up offering a mix of passive & active abilities. Abilities such as increased health, faster speed & faster reloading. The active abilities can be a mixed bunch but the more points put into them the better they become.

    You’ll need a few to fight against the onslaught of enemies that come at you. Levels have simple objectives…collect an item, destroy shield generators or just fight your way to the exit. The aim of the game is to reach the core in the middle but to do this you’ll need to collect cells.

    Cells are the currency needed to equip better parts with the best stuff costing the most. You need to balance your deployment cost effectively so you don’t run out of cells. They can be picked up in levels as you go along so it’s just a matter of being aware of the cost of your equipment & not over-spending.

    There isn’t much variety even if levels are uniquely generated. The problem lies in just how uninspired the locations are. Other then the onslaught of enemies, occasional laser shield to destroy & cars that you can blow up there is little to excite. Putting it simply after a while you’ll be bored & often find yourself rushing to the exit rather than slog through another endless pile of enemies.

    Even the levels that offer a different objective repeat too often to be interesting for long. However, in 4-player co-op the game comes to life offering hilarity & a much needed challenge.

    Many will find the ‘always on’ friendly fire option a frustration but in my co-op experience it just made the game-play more fun. Not only are you dodging enemy attacks but you have to mindful of where you shoot.

    Even playing with just an additional player can make the game much more fun & is definitely the best way to play.

    Even though it doesn’t have as much depth as it promises Spareware is a fun & addictive game. For the price, you can get hours of fun & even more if you’re playing in co-op.    … Expand
  2. AceoHearts
    Oct 5, 2016
    7
    Recently Rusto released an all out assault on the senses in their latest game Spareware. In this game you assemble your robot and fightRecently Rusto released an all out assault on the senses in their latest game Spareware. In this game you assemble your robot and fight through the city of Helsinki and try to free the AI protector HelOS. You will have to battle through tons of humans and other bots to try and make it to your goal. But never fear - you can have up to 3 friends join you, as long as they are in the same room.
    At the start of the game you get to build your slaughter bot from the ground up. Pick the type of treads they have, the weapon on each arm, and even the head. This makes each round a bit different, and allows you to customize your character to your play style. You even get to upgrade your robots skills. As you progress through the game, you will earn new weapons and upgrades to help you along. You can even swap them out mid level if you are damaged and find one along the way. But the city of Helsinki is not what you might imagine.
    Besides the fact that you can change your bot around, the city changes with each play through. This means that every assault to the Core to rescue HelOS will be different, which definetely boosts the replay value. Not to mention multiple difficulty settings so you can either dip your toe into the fray or dive head first with no reguard for safety.
    The graphics in Spareware are bright and flashy. For a distopian future, there is a pretty bright color pallete being used, and that is ok. It is nice to see a depressed future that isn't drab looking. The title is more than a pretty face, it also has a shredding sound track. The music keeps up with you as you as slinging bullets at the enemy and exploding cars.
    The main draw back to this game is that all the multiplayer is local. It features up to 4 players in co-op and 8 players in versus, but everyone has to be sitting in the same room. While it is great to have a bunch of friends over playing together, it is not always possible. This means that a section of this game may be unusable for some players if they don't have local gaming friends.
    There are 36 achievements in the game that will test your skill and your ability to keep calm while your gamer score gets wonky for a while. The cheevos in this game are all base 8 - 8, 16, 24, 32, 64 and 128. It all equals 1,000 points in the end, and there are multiple ways to get your score back to ending in either a 0 or 5 but you will have to play the game and work them out. If you have gamerscore OCD, you might have a few eye twitch moments til things settle back down.    … Expand