Developer: Apt Games
Publisher: Apt Games
Platforms: Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PC, Mac
Tested on: Switch
TERROR SQUID – Review
Some things in life are certain, while other things aren’t. Just like there are some games that have solid storylines and others tend to take a different route. TERROR SQUID certainly is one of those titles as this entity of the same name and the game it creates, is the only thing that matters. You’ve read it right, get ready for some dark fun in your mind.
Story
The only thing to remember is that there is only TERROR SQUID. The human is weak and needs to ditch the flesh shell we live in and just give in to the darkness. Become terror, there is no hope left.
All references aside, the story behind this game is practically non-existent. Next to the above-mentioned content, there isn’t much more that the game has to offer, next to some text flashing on your screen whenever you fail to survive your own bullet hell. The concept isn’t that bad but it also doesn’t invite you to invest more time into TERROR SQUID.
Graphics
From the title to the story, it might already be clear that the setting is rather galactic and futuristic, but in a simple way. The canvas of your bullet hell is a globe consisting out of triangles to create that abstract vector setting, that is just emphasized by your rocket ship. Every ritual that passes, new bullets join the party, which stand out nicely in the otherwise monochromatic space.
Sound
With the whole creepy bullet hell theme going on, the music that’s accompanying your every move is one that will calm you down but on the other hand it makes you get goosebumps too. The eerie sound is the starting cue for another round of bullet hell. It would have been nice if there was more than one track in the game, as now it gets on your nerves rather fast, as you might need to restart a lot, making it loop very quickly.
The sound effects on the other hand give it a nice extra dimension as each type of bullet has its own specific noise, while the explosions make the game pop even more. These small extras elevate the overall feel of TERROR SQUID to the next level.
Gameplay
TERROR SQUID is a do-it-yourself bullet hell where the only opponent is yourself. Your spaceship is the one that spews out the bullets you need to face afterwards, meaning that you have to navigate through the hell you created. You need to survive several ‘rituals’ by getting energy and using this to blow up the available bullets on the planet. The more you can pop, by putting them close to each other so there is a chain reaction, the more points you get and the faster you’ll get to the next ritual.
Every time you reach a new level, the type of bullets changes. This means that you will have to memorize their pattern and adjust your strategy to survive as long as possible. To increase your survivability, you can dash forward for a short distance, but it might be enough to save your life as hitting one bullet means instant death and a retry.
Truthfully, the idea of the game is nice but what you get is rather disappointing. Every time you die, you have to start over again from the same type of bullets. There isn’t anything to change the order of the bullet types or you can’t alter the difficulty, meaning that you just have one game mode to satisfy your TERROR SQUID needs. Okay, there is a high score that gives a bit of an incentive, but it’ll be far from enough to keep you entertained for more than ten to twenty minutes.
Conclusion
If you like quirky games and love bullet hells, then TERROR SQUID might be something up your alley. The fun part is that you create your own hell and the idea behind the game is certainly special. It’s just sad that the gameplay doesn’t give you much satisfaction or diversity. It’s a shame as the music and graphics give it that certain eerie look and feel, but nothing more is done with it, sticking to a very minimal amount of content. This is definitely something to look at if it’s on sale, but don’t expect to play hours on this title. As it stands now, TERROR SQUID is a victim of its simplicity, becoming stale and bland before you might even get into it.
TERROR SQUID - Review,
No Comments