Quick Slick Deadly – Review

Quick Slick Deadly is a sidescroller shooter that truly brings the element of speed and pacing to the genre. Made by a small developer, the game nonetheless has some innovative features.

Story

This game has no set storyline, but is made up of short mission-based levels. The main focus of these levels lies in completing them within a certain time limit, or according to certain predetermined rules. The lack of a good storyline could keep players from fully engaging with the game, but it’s clear that Quick Slick Deadly does not intend to be a full-blown storytelling game.

Graphics

Quick Slick Deadly has a very retro look and feel to it. From the cool-toned colour palettes combined with bright neon laser effects, to the old school static backgrounds, this game wouldn’t look out of place in a 90’s arcade hall. The game uses static backgrounds in combination with freely flowing elements, giving it a dynamic feel. Interesting, especially for its genre, is the switch between the top and sideways point of view that happens at certain points during the game.

The quality of the textures as well as the frame rate aren’t always the best, but keeping in mind that the game was made by a very small team that focused largely on gameplay functionality, it would perhaps be unfair to compare it against bigger titles in its genre.

Sound

The music for Quick Slick Deadly was composed by Kevin MacLeod, who is well known for creating and distributing royalty free music. The soundtrack may not have been created with Quick Slick Deadly in mind, but it works relatively well for the game without distracting from the many other sound effects. The latter sound precisely how you’d expect a game like Quick Slick Deadly to sound like, imitating futuristic laser-like sound effects and asteroid explosions. Again, this would work well in a 90’s arcade hall.

Gameplay

Quick Slick Deadly is a sidescroller shooter that occasionally uses a top-down POV. Developer Adventurous Productions put emphasis on the title’s gameplay aspects, with well thought out level mechanisms and initially some very difficult mission objectives. The game has received a few updates since release, and has since become more forgiving, increasing time limits and decreasing enemy difficulty. As the game’s impressive in-depth guide proves, Quick Slick Deadly is based on extensive mathematical algorithms and offers a wide variety of level objectives and obstacles. These obstacles often have humorous names, such as the “2D maker” (an obstacle moving in from the top and bottom of the screen, crushing everything in its path, causing “instant destruction”) or the “deathwheel” (a rotating wheel with sharp edges).

Perhaps its most defining feature is Quick Slick Deadly’s innovative accelerating system, allowing players to move the spaceship back and forth, in addition to up and down. Players will need to use strategy-based thinking to overcome certain levels, as a higher speed will make it easier to stay within the given time limit, but will also make manoeuvring more difficult. This feature is innovative and fun to play around with, but the ships aren’t always easy to manoeuvre leaving little room for mistakes, which can lead to some frustration but ultimately keeps the game from being too simple. The game also features three different types of spaceships, each one with its own defining features. The Fighter uses a weapon that becomes stronger the more enemies you kill, the Survivor gains more power the longer it survives, and the Trickster allows you to employ daring manoeuvres and play risky tricks on your enemies. The different ships, as well as the different types of obstacles, bring variety to the game. Most levels are made up out of dodging obstacles and incoming attacks, flying through booster hoops, and defeating enemies.

One of the game’s biggest downfalls is the amount of reading that needs to be done to get through a level. Quick Slick Deadly does explain how to overcome each obstacle, and how to reach every goal, but let’s be real: who reads manuals anymore these days? Additionally, the lack of any narrative premise makes it hard to stay committed to the game for a long time.

Conclusion

Quick Slick Deadly would be a great mobile app with a very addictive character, perfect to play on long bus rides or on breaks. As a PC game however, the sidescroller could fail to convince players to commit to the game due to its lack of narrative or the wide variety of alternatives. If you however enjoy beating high scores, arcade-like games, or are just in the mood for some quick entertainment, this might be your game.

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I'm a 24 year old gamer with a passion for RPG's, and the gaming community as a whole. When I'm not gaming, I can be found cooking, reading, or with my partner and pets. Currently on: PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, PC and 3DS.

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