Published by EastAsiaSoft, Battle Station Blockade is a rails shooter build with a voxel visual style.
Controlling a set of gun turrets, the player automatically floats down a seaway and is tasked with shooting anything that moves. Paratroopers, enemy cannons, ships of different sizes, and even flying saucers will attack the player. Think River Raid but without the fuel replenishing system. The action never stops to a fault. Since there are so many things on screen at one time, there is no way the player can shoot all of them due to the weak firepower and slow aiming reticle speed. Thankfully, there is an option to adjust the cursor’s sensitivity in the main menu because the default setting is much to slow.
In addition to the purposely blocky visual style, which provides plenty of personality, the other gimmick comes from the energy regeneration system. Which each kill, health will slightly restore. The bigger the takedown, the more energy is restored. Difficulty isn’t an issue when set on the easiest option, but the player’s health constantly decreases due to the large amount of incoming fire, but then can be just as quickly restored since there is so much to shoot. Holding down the right trigger to shoot is constant, so much so that I wish there just was an auto fire option.
The problem with this mindless rail shooter is the repetition and unnecessarily level length. By the time the first stage ends, you will have killed hundreds of the same five enemy types using the same machine gun. There are different weapons, but they don’t work as well as the standard default gun. Plus, the game doesn’t explain what the other dozen weapons do, how to use them, or which scenario they are used best. Without any major upgrades, things to unlock, or variety, this shooter is very one dimensional, mindless, and boring.
Even with the inclusion of a local co-op and Vs feature, there isn’t enough variety here to give players an excuse to keep playing other than earning some easy big point Achievements if you can tolerate the ridiculously long levels.
SCORE: 4/10
Play It Instead: almost any other shooter by EastAsiaSoft
Also Play: Excessive Trim
Wait For It: a new on-rails Star Fox
By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com
Twitter: @ZackGaz
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