Developer: Fireline Games
Publisher: Fireline Games, Gamera Games
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Tested on: PC
Fueled Up – Review
During the course of the last few years, party games have seen a huge increase in popularity again. Overcooked! has been a massive trailblazer to put this genre back on the map, and we absolutely enjoyed many games that followed the crazy cooking party game’s path. Only recently a new game appeared on our radar, not only because it looked like another interesting addition to the party game genre, but also because it very much reminded us of Catastronauts. Like Catastronauts, Fueled Up takes place in space, where you and your silly-looking crew members must keep your spaceship in one piece before you can warp out of your current predicament.
Story
At the beginning of the game, you’ll get a bit of an introduction as to why you’ll start exploring the galaxy, but apart from that, the story feels like an afterthought. You’ll get your intro, and then you’re sent on your way to just get a few small text pop-ups here and there. There is no proper story evolution like there is in Overcooked! or even Moving Out, which feels like a missed opportunity. We understand that the game is really all about the gameplay, but we’re missing that element that truly makes the game appealing.
Graphics
Graphically, Fueled Up is a pretty-looking game. Even though you’re almost always on a typical spaceship, there is some variety when it comes to the backdrops and the overall clutter you’ll find in the different rooms. We quite enjoyed seeing the different sceneries, as well as finding many different easter eggs. The silly cast of characters that you can play with was also very varied and they looked quite adorable.
Sound
The game’s sound design isn’t too bad, but the overall soundtrack isn’t all too memorable either. The same can also be said about the sound effects, which certainly suffice for the onscreen action, but these also sound very generic. We would have loved a bit more flair when it came to the overall soundtrack, but as a whole, there’s nothing wrong with the game’s soundscape.
Gameplay
Fueled Up is a party game much in the same vein as Catastronauts. You’ll always have to play through short stages in which you’ll have to make sure the engines are powered, while also having to deal with random mishaps. The things you’ll have to keep track of can range from simply repairing damages and extinguishing fires to more hefty things like grinding up explosive meteorites and making sure engines are cooled down regularly. Overall, the core mechanics are quite solid, and there isn’t anything really wrong with the title. We did find the button commands a bit tedious, as the game simply cannot make up its mind which buttons correspond with what type of actions, and the control scheme often felt counterintuitive.
The game doesn’t have a traditional timer, but you’ll have to make sure the engines keep running to stay ahead of the all-consuming space monster that is chasing you. If you’re someone with a bit of experience when it comes to games like this, you should not have too many issues clearing the levels, with time to spare. That being said, this game is best enjoyed with two or more players. However, even with two players we often felt like a lot of the stages were designed for a minimum of three players, due to the many different tasks that needed to be executed.
While Fueled Up isn’t necessarily a bad game, it’s just a very by-the-numbers ordeal when you have to compare it to other similar titles. The game has a too-safe approach to many of its levels and mechanics, and it’s just not as fun as its competitors. While other games have funny chaotic elements, Fueled Up just adds several annoyances to stages that feel like a chore rather than a challenge. Over the years, we have played many similar titles, and this one just isn’t that hard. At no single point during our playthrough did we struggle to actually complete a level. We didn’t complete all optional missions, simply because we didn’t really care. It’s fun that the game rewards you with new characters, but even so, the game felt like a Catastronauts clone with absolutely no soul.
Conclusion
Fueled Up proves to be a very bland entry for a genre that has loads of heavy hitters like Overcooked!, Catastronauts, and Moving Out, to name a few. The title’s core mechanics aren’t bad, as everything is very functional, it’s just that the game misses certain elements to make it a very fun and interesting experience. For us, this game felt like an entry-level experience, as the game never truly gets hard, and we also missed a lot of ‘wacky’ elements truly making things chaotic and fun. You can do far worse than this title, but we still suggest buying this one at a hefty discount.
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