With great music pumping in my ears, I spent about 3 hours gleefully blasting away robots in an intense and often overwhelming arena. With my growing arsenal of androids to use, I not once became bored of this action, even when I found the one android that I would use for most scenarios. That is the beauty of Assault Android Cactus.
Assault Android Cactus is not a looker. With graphics that look like an early Xbox 360 title, and stilted animations in the opening cutscenes, you almost go into the game with low expectations. But as the game progresses these problems fade to the back. For starters, as this is a twin stick shooter, the camera is far enough away from the dated models and as a result, they are not as much of an issue as you may have originally thought. The animations are done well enough that when zipping across the arenas put before you, you don't seem to notice them. But what truly pushes those thoughts of doubt away is the game itself.
The systems in Assault Android Cactus themselves are what truly shine and make this game what it is, an absolute blast. The tutorial is brief enough but manages to cover absolutely everything you need to know. Every android comes with two weapons. Your primary, which you can shoot as often as you would like, and your secondary that has a cool down. You start off with four androids to choose from; Cactus, Holly, Lemon and Coral. They all have distinct feels to their playstyle, with Holly’s primary gun having bullets that seek out enemies, and Coral having a powerful but close range shotgun, there will be an android that fits your playstyle. Additionally you will gain up to five more androids as you beat different bosses.
As you play through the level, defeated enemies drop orbs that you can pick up to level up your weapon up to three levels. Some may also drop power ups, which are vital to not only beating the level, but also gaining a high score. When an enemy drops a power up, it will be one of three possible abilities; gained movement speed and magnetism to all orbs and batteries, freezing all enemies on the screen, or two gigantic guns to assist in mowing down your adversaries.
Enemies also drop battery charges, which keep you alive throughout the level. As an android you only have so much battery to use. It is constantly draining and once fully depleted you lose. It is vital to pick up these charges whenever you can. But while doing so you also have to be aware of your surroundings, as difficult as that may be with everything happening on the screen. Getting hit by enemies too much will cause you to go down, not only eating up more of your charge, but also resetting your weapon level and losing all power ups you may have had.
The game encourages you to switch between androids on each level. In some levels I found Holly’s seeker gun to be the best choice, while on others I found Starch’s laser and rocket barrage to be what I needed to beat the level. At any point if you fail a level you are free to choose a different android, and with so many at your disposal, it would be a mistake not to. On top of the drastic gameplay differences, each android also has unique dialogue with the level bosses, giving them each distinctive personalities.
At the end of the level you are given a score and ranking, with the highest being S+. Since each level takes about two minutes to beat, I found myself often jumping right back into the level I just finished to try to get a better score. I can easily see those who are competitive and enjoy scoreboards to keep coming back to this game to try to top one another. On top of your final score, you also gain credits that you can spend, unlocking different options including filters and character models and so much more, adding on top to the already incredible replayability.
No level overstayed its welcome, and they were all distinct enough that you never got bored. Levels were constantly evolving, with some containing rotating floors impacting your movement, while others have had the environment appear around you as you traversed it. Each level felt unique, even if visually they were rather similar. My favorite level happened later in the game. What originally seemed like an average stage, revealed multiple platforms that activated different stage controlled weapons to fight beside you. Grabbing the movement power up and skating around the stage activating these weapons while blasting the enemies on your own was a satisfying experience that I have not felt in a game for a while.
And that is why Assault Android Cactus shines. It is a short game that is an absolute blast. The gameplay is simple enough that anyone can get into it, yet complex enough to keep you coming back for more. The music adds to the intensity with a great soundtrack that is constantly constantly pumping you up, getting you excited for the next level. There is tons in here to do, between getting all of the collectibles, going for the high score, or just mindlessly playing in the endless waves mode. What the game lacks in visual fidelity, it picks up for it in nearly every other regard.
Pros:
-Gameplay is a blast
-Great soundtrack
-Level design
-Tons of content
Cons:
-Graphics/character models are dated