Official Site: http://www.finalformgames.com/jamestown/
Buy it now on Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/94200/
Source: Youtube Channel FinalFormGames
Developer: Final Form Games, LLC
Distributor: Steam, Direct2Drive, and GamersGate
Platforms: PC
Release Date: June 8, 2011.
Genre: Shoot-em-Up, Indie
Pros:
-Amazing handcrafted pixel based artwork with rich colors and an old-school, retro vibe
-Compelling and challenging, but still easy enough for anyone to pick up and play
-Masterfully produced soundtrack with an orchestral feeling to it
-The ability to play 4-players local cooperatively, a lost and very much missed aspect in modern games
Cons:
-The game can be very difficult, and so it might be a bit hard to convince a friend to play with you
-The core game is rather short, and so the replay value comes from playing the higher difficulty levels
-The rescue ability in multiplayer can't be done in single-player which makes playing solo harder
-No online cooperative play
Bullethell Shoot-em-Ups is a genre that seems to have its own niche in the western gaming community, and so it is rare to see that many be released in the Western market. When I first heard of Jamestown, the plot and theme was so odd that I didn't know what to think. However, after one play-through on the highest difficulty I was capable of choosing (called divine which is the 4th hardest difficulty level out of five), I was convinced that the game was just right in every aspect to be very enjoyable. To my surprise, the game had a very good feel of Japanese shoot-em-ups of the past with its rich sprite art, crazy bullet patterns, and very challenging gameplay. My fear before playing the game was that it was going to be either too easy, too hard, or have terrible gameplay and controls like many other vertical shoot-em-ups I have played. If you're looking for a good shoot-em-up or a 4-player co-op game to play, then I urge you to spend just $10 to enjoy this masterpiece.
Graphics
The graphics are all pixel-based sprites and backgrounds which gives it a retro vibe like many Japanese shoot-em-ups. The theme is a mix between historical 17th century Britain and Sci-Fi space. The color contrast plays a big part in dodge bullets as they are very prominent on the screen and easy to spot. The landscapes are beautiful and the enemies are nicely plotted through each level that keeps the player on the edge. It's very easy to determine what is dangerous, what can be collected, and which player is who. All the designs, colors, and aspects in the graphics were carefully chosen visually and gameplay wise. With that said, it sucks to run into an enemy bullet when you clearly saw it coming. Graphics: 10/10
Audio
The soundtrack is mostly orchestral sounding with some choir and some electronic aspects. Honestly, the soundtrack isn't very memorable or one that I would listen to that often outside of the game, but it sure is impressive for an indie game. It has the resounding feel of an epic journey and matches its theme of 17th century Britain despite being out of the ordinary being on Mars. The sound effects are what you would expect out of a bullethell and works really well with the game and art style. The audible cues from enemy attacks are an important aspect in the gameplay in knowing what's coming next and being able to react from it. The quality in music and sound effects are truly high in this indie game. Audio: 9/10
Gameplay
Seeing how it was an indie developed game, I was unsure of how well balanced the difficulty levels, enemy spawns, and controls were going to turn out as I've had plenty of bad experiences with indie shoot-em-ups. I've played a lot of bad ones, a few good ones, but none as high of a quality as Jamestown did in terms of the challenge, fairness, controls, and concept aspects. It's very basic actually. The player scrolls upwards like any other vertical shoot-em-up, they can move around freely and shoot enemies, have an alternate shot, and instead of a bomb, each player has a mode called vaunt which grants temporary invincibility while making the shots from the player more powerful. The game can be played stage by stage, or they can purchase with in-game credits caused gauntlet mode which allows players to play the game from beginning to end like a traditional arcade shooter. There are 4 ships to choose from, but there are 3 that must be purchased with in-game credits by playing through the game. There are 5 difficulty levels to choose from with the hardest one locked until bought. And then there's challenges that can be played through by completing one level on Divine difficulty (4th one out of 5) and then buying the other challenges in the shoppe. The real fun comes from playing multiplayer, but in a modern day of gaming where local multiplayer has died off, it was sad to see that the game didn't provide online co-op play. Still, even playing singleplayer has its own gratification and entertainment as it is more challenging. Gameplay: 9/10
Replay Value
There are 5 difficulty levels to choose from in Jamestown, and Bullethell shoot-em-ups don't get interesting until they're played on the most difficult settings. This allow the player to gradually build up their skill level without having to dive head first into the true bullethell. With over 5 stages, 5 difficult levels, 4 ships, tons of challenges, the ability to play 4 players co-op, and the addition of Steam achievements (only for Steam users), the game is sure to provide dozens of hours of play which is well worth the $10. However, for those who are already godly on Bullethell games, this may provide about 5-10 hours of gameplay before exhausting out the most difficult challenges in the game. It will be up to playing multiplayer to change it up if that's the case. Replay Value: 8/10
Overall
Jamestown is a really fun game, and is much more approachable than other shoot-em-ups for beginners when trying to convince friends to play co-op. The game provides a decent challenge when the player has improved and allows the player to choose from 4 different ships which change the play style between each one. The art style and soundtrack is very welcoming and an enjoyable aspect to the game. Not having online co-op play is actually a very small setback for the game as it is one of the only few shoot-em-up games to support up to 4 players (usually shumps are up to 2-player co-op). I highly recommend this game to anyone who like action games, shoot-em-ups, co-op games, or difficult games. Overall: 9/10
No comments:
Post a Comment