Publish by Ratalaika Games, Orion Haste is a small, indie developed run-and-gun action game clearly inspired by Contra. While it doesn’t offer anything you haven’t seen previously, this action game can act as comfort food for those who enjoy the genre.
Playing as a soldier trying to stop aliens messing with the oxygen supply, it is your job to blast the crap out of them using four different weapons that can be selected at will. Each stage is a gauntlet of obstacles and enemies, each capped with a giant boss. Each point of damage subtracts one heart from your inventory but there are several to optionally be collected in each stage. However, make no mistake, this is a challenging game. Mostly due to cheap enemy placement and some tricky jumps. For me, this was one of those games where I would get frustrated with the difficulty, rage quit for a day or two, then come back and try again when I had time to calm down. Practice and memorizing are key. Patience won’t hurt either.
Some stages play differently. For example, an early stage put players on top of a speeding hover bike. Another stage pits the player against a boss in which you need to jump and shoot downward. So kudos must be given for implementing something a little different with each area, both visually and gameplay-wise. Granted, the level select screen is a little confusing I wish there was a more lenient checkpoint system. Dying at a boss, for example, sends you back to the halfway point of the stage instead of putting you right next to the boss door. Making matters more heartbreaking, bosses can often perform while final attack during their defeat animation. Yes, I got sniped by this last-ditch attack which caused me to instantly rage quit and say an impressive combination of four-letter words.
Orion Haste isn’t perfect but there is just enough quality here to want you to keep playing. For a game that costs $6, there are points of admiration even if there is no co-op feature.
SCORE: 7.5/10
Also Try: Berserk Boy
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Also Play: Ultracore
By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com
Twitter: @ZackGaz
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