Developer: Troglobytes Games
Publisher: Troglobytes Games, Hound Picked Games
Platform: Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tested on: PS4
HyperParasite – Review
The Roguelike game market has only but expanded during the last few years. Every season brings several games to this genre, meaning new games must differentiate themselves from others to be unique enough to pique the interest of buyers. HyperParasite does this through its unique “possession mechanic”, adding a layer of complexity to a fairly simple gameplay loop, which ends up working perfectly.
Story
HyperParasite’s story is not complex at all, run-of-the-mill “alien invades, earthlings defend their country”. The twist here is that said alien is a body-snatching parasite who can jump from host to host. The alien’s end goal is to possess the president to obtain and shoot some nukes. To fight it, the president decides to give everyone permission to shoot on sight.
Graphics
The graphics of the game are reminiscent of old 80s games thanks to the blur and coloring employed. Some parts also give off vaporwave feels, for example, the logo of the game itself.
Characters have unique designs, though the models of a few of them are hard to distinguish during gameplay, but most are different enough to notice at a glance.
Every single body that can be possessed has a unique portrait depending on the class, plus a completely different name to accentuate the feeling of possessing different people.
Sound
HyperParasite’s sounds are really, really good. The game’s OST has a very high quality, even if its musical genre may not be everyone’s cup of tea. It also plays into the 80s feel the whole game conveys as a whole. SFX in the game are good as well, everything is hearable, without audio bugs or mistakes.
Gameplay
HyperParasite is a twin-stick bullet-hell(ish) game, this meaning gameplay is its meat-and-potatoes, everything is centered around making it pure fun, even if it still has some problems. Controls are slick and smooth, allowing everyone to play without a single hitch. Obviously, since the game requires aiming and only the PC version features mouse controls, it’s sometimes difficult to properly aim, but this is not an issue concerning the actual gameplay, being instead about playing games like this with a controller. It should be noted though, that some of the hitboxes are a bit finicky, making it look like the enemy has been hit when it’s not the case, but it doesn’t end up being a big deal.
The bulk of the gameplay comes in the shape of it being a twin-stick bullet hellish game, this second part mostly during boss fights. The player controls the parasite and goes around snatching new bodies, each with different abilities. The parasite itself can be also played as, but it’s not recommendable since it only has one life unless it receives some upgrades, lacking damage as well. The intention of the game is for the player to get new bodies and to try and hold them for as long as possible. Here is where the main problem of the game comes in, once an area is cleared, the following doesn’t have the bodies unlocked, forcing the player to survive with a single body until one of the new ones can be unlocked.
The unlocking itself is based on RNG, with enemies randomly dropping brains, which then can be stuffed into tubes at the shop, where once paid, the new body will be unlocked. This doesn’t mean a new body can be used from the get-go, just that the player will be able to possess it on later playthroughs. At the start of every new game, the parasite will start inside one of the unlocked bodies, moving to others later on.
Another one of the problems of the game comes in that the money obtained is also RNG based, making it so several runs may be required to unlock a single one of the higher-end bodies, but alas, this is not a huge deal, the game is more than fun enough to make the time spent with this enjoyable. It does come more into play if the player has the intention to buy items in the shop, being subjected to pure luck. More often than not, items on the first level will be impossible to afford.
Through each level, a lot of different types of enemies appear, some of them being “elites”, possessing higher damage and health. Another type of special enemies are the named ones, which are mostly mini-bosses with their own arenas. These can also be unlocked as bodies to be possessed, with their brain drop being granted after defeat.
Actual bosses also have their own unique arenas and are where the more bullet-hell part of the game comes in. During the fight, other enemies pour in, to allow the player to get new bodies. Bosses are often non-humans, thus they are not unlocked after defeat, dropping instead a large amount of money.
Conclusion
HyperParasite is a really good game; it is entertaining to play, doesn’t have bugs and has a great soundtrack. It also puts its own spin on a classic formula, successfully, making it different from other games on the market. A few things could be improved, such as the money mechanics and unlocking bodies in levels other than the first, but besides this, everything about HyperParasite is good.
Personal opinion
“I had a lot of fun with HyperParasite. It didn’t strike me like anything too special, but it still is a game that plays its cards right seeing as everything is polished and optimized. I would’ve preferred to play it with a mouse, just to make aiming easier, but as mentioned in the review, this is not an issue with the game; it also happens with Enter The Gungeon and other games of this kind. Overall, I’d recommend HyperParasite, it is a more than worthy purchase.”
HyperParasite - Review,
No Comments