Clearly inspired by 1982’s Robotron: 2084, Satryn DX is Flynn Arcade’s newest, retro arcade-style release. Simply put, if classic Robotron was remade here in 2024, this would be the result.
Retaining the same twin-stick controls, sequential level-based stages, and overall save-and-survive gameplay, this $7 digital download has everything that made Eugene Jarvis’ original a hit. Satryn DX takes all these elements but amplifies them using modern gameplay enhancements. Explosions are bigger. Gameplay is a little faster. There are more enemy types. Scores can swell to compete globally on the leaderboard. The visuals are flashier. New power-ups add to the fun and mayhem.
The goal is still to achieve the highest score possibly by killing throngs of enemies from a single screen, save innocents, and survive for as long as possible. Just like Robotron, if enemies touch a civilian, they perish, preventing you from collecting their score bonus. While civilians can be saved by bumping into them, any remaining survivors will automatically be collected at the end of the stage, which is a nice change over the original. The power-ups are also good fun and often provide a much-needed fire power boost when in desperation.
While I was able to play this pre-release, I found a steep difficulty spike on level 13. Which is interesting because each stage on each run always felt different. Sometimes more powerful enemies would appear. Sometimes higher amounts of weaker enemies would try to overwhelm. But level 13 always hit a wall. Also, I encountered a strange bug on a rare occasion, in which the game would soft lock on the final game over score screen. With all buttons non-responsive, my only option was to quit and reboot. Not the end of the world though, and perhaps there will be a patch by the time of full release.
Having a worldwide leaderboard is great as it provides quality replay value, it is a little weird that it is restricted to a QR code. Instead of just sending the score to a server upon game over, the player needs to pause on the final game over score screen, then scan a QR code with a smart phone which takes the player to a website, then agree to upload the score. Plus, there is no option to view the leaderboard from the main menu. So if you wanted to see if your high score is still standing, you need to play a round, die, then scan the code to the taken to the leaderboard webpage. This extra step is weird and unintuitive.
Even with the cumbersome way to upload and view high scores, Satryn DX is still quality arcade fun and fits firmly in the library of other Flynn’s Arcade Switch releases. This is a new, retro-style arcade game done right, one that pays proper homage to a timeless classic.
SCORE: 8/10
Also Play: Murtop and Donut Dodo
Just As Awesome As: Goliath Depot
Don’t Forget About: the Robotron: 2048 port on XBLA that featured online co-op split over two controllers
By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com
Twitter: @ZackGaz
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