A retro-inspired vertical shooter, Retaliate might look like some sort of Space Invaders clone by glancing at the gameplay trailer. While retro in design, there one main gimmick and numerous modes to separate itself from other shmups.
Retaliate relies on both strategy and reaction because ammo is finite. To shoot at the throngs of enemies, the player must first absorb individual bullets using the shield ability. Starting each life with zero ammo, the player must rely on the shield’s cool down timer for both offensive and defense.
Enemies can be defeated if they collide with the shield. Except for boss battles, it is possible to play through each stage using only well-timed shield summons. At the same time, any bullet that hits your shield will be instantly added to your inventory and can be fired at will. It is an interesting gameplay mechanic, one that goes even deeper for those players looking to maximize score since killing enemies with the shield yields a different score than firepower related deaths.
Since there isn’t a detailed tutorial, understanding this push/pull system takes time, especially since the shield is limited to its cooldown timer. However, once I got the hang of it, knowing when to call my shots, it became one of those “just one more” type games. Each death caused me to swear because I knew it was my own stupid fault. Also, since enemy patterns remain the same for each run during the campaign mode, the more you play, the more you memorize.
This shooter goes beyond moving from one stage to the next. There is an endurance mode, where you try to get the highest score possible with one life, several trial missions, and a classic mode that harkens back to its proof-of-concept mobile origins. Your ship can also be customized from the main menu but only being able to modify the color scheme is a little lackluster.
Visually, this looks like a plain and straightforward shooter. Nothing really wrong with it but definitely doesn’t stand out. The same goes for the audio department. At the same time, this game was developed by a small independent studio and they put their focus where it needs to the be – on the gameplay.
Once the initial learning curve is passed, Retaliate is a fun, different, and patient shooter. It doesn’t have the highest level of polish, but its low cost, amount of content, and interesting shield/shoot mechanic provides more entertainment than you think.
SCORE: 7.5/10
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By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com
Twitter: @ZackGaz
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